Benefits July 9, 2003
Ex-Polaroid Workers Claim Illegal Benefits Cutoff
July 9, 2003 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Five former
Polaroid employees have sued the company, claiming that
Polaroid violated ERISA by severing their long-term
disability benefits last year.
Reported by Fred Schneyer
The suit, filed Monday in Boston federal court, claims Polaroid made the illegal benefits cutoff after the July 2002 sale of the company to One Equity Partners, a unit of Chicago-based Bank One Corp., according to the Associated Press.
The company sent a letter telling about 180 employees receiving long-term disability and 70 surviving spouses, that they would no longer be considered employees. The plaintiffs include a man with incurable skin cancer and a woman with Alzheimer’s. They have asked the court to restore their benefits, reimburse insurance premiums, and pay damages.