The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit ruled Aug. 10 that a well-known attorney in Birmingham, Alabama, was rightfully denied disability benefits by her insurer and not excluded from their life insurance premiums based on a “reasonable” interpretation of the policy.

Carol Stewart, a retired attorney with Burr & Forman, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2007. Previously, she was provided with disability insurance by an ERISA health plan under Sun Life Assurance Co. of Canada. In 2010, Burr & Forman switched to Hartford Insurance, according to the appeals court’s opinion.