Lykins v. GMC

Dinsmore & Shohl represented General Motors Corporation in a suit filed by the surviving spouse of one of it's employees seeking in excess of $300,000 in benefits under the deceased husband's employee pension plan.  The district court ruled, as a matter of law, that Plaintiff was not entitled to receive surviving spouse benefits under her deceased husband's ERISA-qualified employee pension plan, because her husband had not changed the designation of his former wife as beneficiary under the GMC plan prior to his death.  The case was dismissed upon Motion for Summary Judgment.