Tenth Circuit Agrees with District Court that Catholic Health Initiative’s Plan is a ‘Church Plan’

On December 19, 2017, the Tenth Circuit in Medina v. Catholic Health Initiatives unanimously affirmed the decision of District of Colorado Judge Robert Blackburn entering summary judgment in favor of the defendants. Groom Law Group represented Catholic Health Initiatives (“CHI”) and the other defendants throughout this lawsuit and in the appeal. The Tenth Circuit’s ruling is the first major development in church plan litigation since the Supreme Court’s June 2017 decision in Advocate Health Care Network v. Stapleton, which held that a church plan does not have to be established by a church. The Medina decision deals a significant blow to plaintiffs in church plan lawsuits pending around the country.