Harte v. Bethlehem Steele , 214 F.3d 446 ( 2000 )


Menu:
  •                                                                                                                            Opinions of the United
    2000 Decisions                                                                                                             States Court of Appeals
    for the Third Circuit
    5-26-2000
    Harte v. Bethlehem Steele
    Precedential or Non-Precedential:
    Docket 98-2052
    Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.law.villanova.edu/thirdcircuit_2000
    Recommended Citation
    "Harte v. Bethlehem Steele" (2000). 2000 Decisions. Paper 110.
    http://digitalcommons.law.villanova.edu/thirdcircuit_2000/110
    This decision is brought to you for free and open access by the Opinions of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit at Villanova
    University School of Law Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in 2000 Decisions by an authorized administrator of Villanova
    University School of Law Digital Repository. For more information, please contact Benjamin.Carlson@law.villanova.edu.
    Filed February 29, 2000
    UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
    FOR THE THIRD CIRCUIT
    No. 98-2052
    ROBERT J. HARTE, Appellant
    v.
    BETHLEHEM STEEL CORPORATION; GENERAL PENSION
    BOARD OF THE BETHLEHEM STEEL CORPORATION
    AND SUBSIDIARY COMPANIES; MICHAEL P. DOPERA,
    Secretary, Employee Benefits Administration Committee
    On Appeal From the United States District Court
    For the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
    (D.C. Civ. No. 97-cv-06528)
    District Judge: Honorable Edward N. Cahn
    Argued: September 28, 1999
    Before: BECKER, Chief Judge, McKEE, and NOONAN*
    Circuit Judges.
    (Filed: February 29, 2000)
    DONALD P. RUSSO, ESQUIRE
    (ARGUED)
    60 West Broad Street
    P.O. Box 1890, Suite 300
    Bethlehem, PA 18016
    Counsel for Appellant
    _________________________________________________________________
    * Honorable John Noonan, United States Circuit Judge for the Ninth
    Circuit, sitting by designation.
    G. STEWART WEBB, JR., ESQUIRE
    (ARGUED)
    RANDOLPH STUART SERGENT,
    ESQUIRE
    Venable, Baetjer and Howard, LLP
    1800 Mercantile Bank & Trust Bldg.
    2 Hopkins Plaza
    Baltimore, MD 21201
    KATHLEEN M. MILLS, ESQUIRE
    Bethlehem Steel Corporation
    Law Department
    1170 Eighth Avenue
    Bethlehem, PA 18016-7699
    Counsel for Appellees
    OPINION OF THE COURT
    BECKER, Chief Judge.
    This appeal, arising out of a claim for pension benefits
    under ERISA, is set in the familiar factual pattern of an
    employee's being denied a more advantageous pension
    because of a minor shortfall in the required period of
    service. Robert J. Harte had accrued credit for fourteen
    years, eleven months, and eleven days at Bethlehem Steel
    when the benefits plan administrator terminated his
    continuous service (for pension purposes) because Harte
    had been absent from work for two years. When Harte's
    service was terminated, he was nineteen days short of
    eligibility for the "70/80" pension he now seeks. Harte
    claims that he did not learn that his service had been
    "broken," and hence that he had not accrued the fifteen
    years required for the pension, until approximately eight
    years later. After finally being notified of his shortfall, Harte
    sued, raising a host of arguments for why Bethlehem was
    required to give him the 70/80 pension, including
    arguments as to why his continuous service should never
    have been severed. The District Court granted summary
    judgment for Bethlehem.
    2
    Harte's strongest claim is a breach of fiduciary duty
    claim. He argues that (1) the plan document was
    ambiguous about when a break in service would be
    effected, (2) he reasonably believed that he was still
    employed under the terms of the plan, and therefore (3)
    Bethlehem, as an ERISA fiduciary, should have at least
    notified him that it was about to break his service. The
    primary issue presented by this appeal is whether ERISA
    requires plan administrators, as fiduciaries, to timely
    inform plan beneficiaries that their service is being broken
    if the severance is made pursuant to an ambiguous plan
    provision that a reasonable person could interpret
    differently from the administrator. We conclude that it does,
    giving rise to the ancillary issues of whether the plan
    provision is ambiguous, whether it is material, and whether
    Harte detrimentally relied on it.
    The phrase at issue in this case is "compensable
    disability." The Bethlehem plan provides that an employee
    may receive a 70/80 pension after fifteen years of
    "continuous service." It states that although continuous
    service is broken two years after leaving work for a
    disability, it is not broken if the reason for leaving is a
    "compensable disability incurred during course of
    employment." Bethlehem represents that the plan
    administrator, within his authority, has consistently
    interpreted this phrase to apply only to work-related
    disabilities that are compensated by state worker's
    compensation, which Harte did not receive. However, Harte
    applied for, received, and continues to receive,
    compensation for his disability through the company's long
    term disability program. On this ground, he contends that
    his service should never have been broken because he has
    a "compensable disability incurred during course of
    employment." He submits that the term "compensable
    disability" is ambiguous as to whether it comprehends long
    term disability benefits as well as worker's compensation
    benefits.
    Although we agree with Bethlehem that the plan
    administrator had the authority to make the interpretation
    that he did and to effect the severance, our precedent
    requires us to conclude that the company also had a
    3
    fiduciary duty to timely inform Harte of its interpretation.
    We have consistently held that a fiduciary may not make
    inconsistent or confusing statements or fail to disclose
    material facts about a plan. It follows that when a material
    plan provision regarding severance is ambiguous and
    beneficiaries might predictably rely on an alternate
    interpretation, a fiduciary may be held liable for failing to
    inform them that their service has been broken at a time at
    which they could attempt corrective action or seek
    alternatives.
    In short, a plaintiff may succeed on a claim under
    S 502(a)(3) of ERISA when he adduces evidence that (1) a
    plan provision is material; (2) it is susceptible of multiple
    reasonable interpretations; (3) the plaintiff relied on it to his
    detriment; and (4) the company did not timely notify the
    plaintiff of its interpretation. We therefore vacate the grant
    of summary judgment and remand the case for further
    proceedings on the breach of fiduciary duty claim. 1 The
    District Court properly granted summary judgment for
    Bethlehem on all other issues, and we affirm summarily
    with respect to these claims.2
    _________________________________________________________________
    1. Bethlehem argues that Harte should not be allowed to proceed on this
    claim because it was inadequately pled. Harte did not cite S 502(a)(3) in
    his complaint, nor did he seek to amend the complaint. His complaint
    does, however, allege the lack of notification, and his papers refer to
    several cases that revolve around S 502(a)(3) claims. Moreover, the
    District Court discussed this claim in the context of one of those cases,
    Bixler v. Central Pa. Teamsters Health & Welfare Fund, 
    12 F.3d 1292
    (3rd Cir. 1993) (a breach of fiduciary duty case that we discuss more
    fully infra Section II). We are satisfied that, given our broad notice
    pleading standards, Harte's breach of fiduciary duty claim has been
    adequately pled.
    2. Harte contends that, given the ambiguity of the plan provisions,
    Bethlehem could not interpret the plan in a fashion that inhered to its
    own benefit. However, under the aegis of Firestone Tire and Rubber Co.
    v. Bruch, 
    489 U.S. 101
    , 114-15 (1989), when an ERISA plan provides the
    plan administrator with fiduciary discretion, courts generally use the
    arbitrary and capricious standard to review the administrator's
    decisions. Paragraphs 5.3(a) and 8.1 of the Bethlehem plan grant the
    administrator the discretion to interpret the "continuous service"
    provision. Even where the company is both the plan sponsor and plan
    4
    I.
    As far as is pertinent to this appeal, Harte worked at
    Bethlehem in several capacities between 1973 and 1986.3
    On January 27, 1986, Harte, then a project engineer, left
    work because of cardiac problems (angina from a prior
    anteriolateral myocardial infarction). He did notfile for, or
    receive, state worker's compensation benefits. He did,
    however, file for, and receive, long term disability (LTD)
    benefits through the company's benefits program, which he
    was still receiving as of the date he filed the present
    lawsuit. On January 27, 1988, after crediting Harte with 14
    years, 11 months, and 11 days of "continuous service,"
    Bethlehem terminated his service. This left Harte nineteen
    days short of being eligible for pensions which would
    provide greater benefits than the deferred vested pension to
    which he is currently entitled.
    The Bethlehem Plan provides that continuous service
    breaks two years after active employment ends due to layoff
    or a disability, but does not break if an employee leaves
    active employment due to a "compensable disability
    incurred during course of employment."4 Michael Dopera,
    _________________________________________________________________
    administrator we have applied the arbitrary and capricious standard of
    Bruch. See Abnathya v. Hoffman-La Roche, Inc., 
    2 F.3d 40
    , 45 n.5 (3d
    Cir. 1993). Applying that standard, Bethlehem's plan administrator did
    not abuse his discretion when he concluded that Harte did not have a
    "compensable disability incurred during course of employment."
    Reviewing the documents available to him, there was no clear indication
    that his disability was work-based, and it was within the plan
    administrator's discretion to conclude that those on worker's
    compensation should be credited for continuous service for the time that
    they were on worker's compensation, while those who left for other
    disability-based reasons should not be so credited. The issue decided in
    the text is, of course, a different one.
    3. Harte also worked for Bethlehem briefly in 1952 and again between
    1962 and 1967. His claim that his previous service must be used to
    calculate the time he can credit towards his pension claims is patently
    without merit and we reject it without further discussion.
    4. In section 5.1 the term "continuous service" is defined (emphasis
    added):
    5
    plan administrator of the Bethlehem Pension Plan, testified
    by deposition that he broke Harte's continuous service in
    January 1988, because he left for medical reasons but did
    not have a "compensable disability" within the meaning of
    the plan. According to Dopera, "compensable disability
    incurred during course of employment" has always been
    interpreted by his office to apply only to those disabilities
    "where the recipient is getting worker's compensation
    benefits." Dopera conceded that there was no document
    available to the employees in which this interpretation was
    _________________________________________________________________
    The term "continuous service" as used in this Plan means
    continuous service in the employ of one or more of the Employing
    Companies, except as in this Section 5 otherwise provided, prior to
    retirement calculated from the Employee's last hiring date (this
    means in the case of a break in continuous service, continuous
    service shall be calculated from the date of reemployment following
    the last unremoved break in continuous service) in accordance with
    the following provisions; provided, however, that the last hiring
    date
    prior to the effective date of this Plan shall be based on the
    practices
    in effect at the time the break occurred:
    (a) There shall be no deduction for any time lost which does not
    constitute a break in continuous service, except that in
    determining length of continuous service for pension purposes:
    (1) that portion of any absence which continues beyond two
    years from commencement of absence due to a layoff or
    disability shall not be creditable as continuous service;
    provided, however, that absence in excess of two years due to
    a compensable disability incurred during course of employment
    shall be creditable as continuous service, if the Employee is
    returned to work or retires within 30 days afterfinal payment
    of statutory compensation for such disability or after the end
    of the period used in calculating lump sum payment
    . . .
    (b) Continuous service shall be broken by:
    (4) absence which continue for more than two years, except
    that (i) absence in excess of two years due to a compensable
    disability incurred during course of employment shall not
    break continuous service, provided the Employee is returned
    to work or retires . . . .; (ii) if an Employee is absent on
    account of layoff or disability in excess of two years . . .
    6
    announced or formalized. Nor did he suggest that the plan
    mandated that interpretation, but rather that the plan
    "provides that we have the right to interpret provisions
    under the administration section. We interpret the
    compensable disability occurred during course of
    employment to mean someone actually getting worker's
    compensation payments." (emphasis added).
    In November 1995, Harte received a letter stating that his
    continuous employment had been severed as of January
    27, 1988, seven years and ten months earlier, and that he
    was eligible for a deferred vested pension. He immediately
    objected and wrote several letters to the company.
    Bethlehem apologized for not informing him earlier,
    blaming the lack of official notice on a "clerical error."
    Bethlehem represents that it has a policy of notifying plan
    participants that their service has been broken shortly after
    the severance and there is no evidence that it does not
    generally do so, or that Bethlehem was acting in bad faith
    when it failed to notify Harte in 1988.
    Harte filed suit in District Court advancing several
    claims. As far is as is relevant for this appeal, the Court
    rejected Harte's contention that Bethlehem had an
    obligation to notify him when he was severed because: (1)
    it concluded that there was no evidence that Bethlehem
    had acted in bad faith; and (2) it believed that there was no
    fiduciary obligation to inform Harte that his service had
    broken. The Court granted summary judgment across the
    board for Bethlehem, and this appeal followed.5
    _________________________________________________________________
    5. We exercise plenary review over such a decision, see Olson v. General
    Elec. Astrospace, 
    101 F.3d 947
    , 951 (3d Cir. 1996), and apply the same
    test the District Court should have applied in thefirst instance, see
    Lawrence v. National Westminster Bank, New Jersey , 
    98 F.3d 61
    , 65 (3d
    Cir. 1996). We must therefore determine whether the record, when
    viewed in the light most favorable to Harte, shows that there is no
    genuine issue of material fact and that defendants are entitled to
    judgment as a matter of law. See Salley v. Circuit City Stores, Inc., 
    160 F.3d 977
    , 980 (3d Cir. 1998).
    7
    II.
    Harte seeks equitable relief under ERISA S 502(a)(3)
    (codified at 29 U.S.C. S 1132(a)(3)), a"catchall" provision,
    which "act[s] as a safety net, offering appropriate equitable
    relief for injuries caused by violations that S 502 does not
    elsewhere adequately remedy," including violations of S 404.
    Varity v. Howe, 
    516 U.S. 489
    , 512 (1996). The alleged
    violation of ERISA involves S 404 (codified at 29 U.S.C.
    S 1104), which defines fiduciary duties owed by plan
    administrators to their beneficiaries.6
    In its declaration of policy, ERISA states:
    [O]wing to the lack of employee information and
    adequate safeguards concerning their operation, it is
    desirable in the interests of employees and their
    beneficiaries . . . that disclosure be made and
    safeguards be provided with respect to the
    establishment, operation, and administration of such
    plans.
    . . .
    It is hereby declared to be the policy of this chapter to
    protect . . . the interests of participants in employee
    benefit plans and their beneficiaries, by requiring the
    disclosure and reporting to participants and
    beneficiaries of financial and other information with
    respect thereto, by establishing standards of conduct,
    _________________________________________________________________
    6. Section 404(a)(1) provides that:
    a fiduciary shall discharge his duties with respect to a plan
    solely in
    the interest of the participants and beneficiaries and--
    (A) for the exclusive purpose of:
    (i) providing benefits to participants and their beneficiaries; and
    (ii) defraying reasonable expenses of administering the plan;
    (B) with the care, skill, prudence, and diligence under the
    circumstances then prevailing that a prudent man acting in a like
    capacity and familiar with such matters would use in the conduct
    of an enterprise of a like character and with like aims;
    . . .
    8
    responsibility, and obligation for fiduciaries of
    employee benefit plans, and by providing for
    appropriate remedies, sanctions, and ready access to
    the Federal courts.
    29 U.S.C. SS 1001(a),(b).
    In interpreting similar claims, we have looked to these
    statements and noted that ERISA was enacted, in part, to
    ensure that employees receive sufficient information about
    their rights under employee benefit plans to make well-
    informed employment and retirement decisions. See Jordan
    v. Federal Express Corp., 
    116 F.3d 1005
    , 1012 (3rd Cir.
    1997). The goals of the "fiduciary duty jurisprudence"
    arising out of ERISA are " `to protect and strengthen the
    rights of employees, to enforce fiduciary standards, and to
    encourage the development of private retirement plans.' " 
    Id. at 1014
     (quoting In re Unisys Savings Plan Litig., 
    74 F.3d 420
    , 434 (3d Cir. 1996)).
    These ends are partially served through ERISA's
    reporting requirements. But the fiduciary duty to disclose
    and explain is not achieved solely by technical compliance
    with the statutory notice requirements. In In re Unisys
    Corp. Retiree Med. Benefit "ERISA" Litig. , 
    57 F.3d 1255
    (1995), we stated that
    satisfaction by an employer as plan administrator of its
    statutory disclosure obligations under ERISA does not
    foreclose the possibility that the plan administrator
    may nonetheless breach its fiduciary duty owed plan
    participants to communicate candidly, if the plan
    administrator simultaneously or subsequently makes
    material misrepresentations to those whom the duty of
    loyalty and prudence are owed.
    
    Id. at 1264
    .
    The contours of these duties must be defined by the
    courts in "develop[ing] a federal common law of rights and
    obligations under ERISA-regulated plans." Varity, 
    516 U.S. at
    497 (citing Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. v. Bruch, 
    489 U.S. 101
    , 110-11(1989)). Administrators have a fiduciary
    duty "not to misinform employees through material
    misrepresentations and incomplete, inconsistent or
    9
    contradictory disclosures." Unisys, 
    57 F.3d at 1264
    . Not all
    misleading statements or omissions by a fiduciary are
    actionable, only those that are material. A representation or
    omission is material if "there is a substantial likelihood that
    it would mislead a reasonable employee in making an
    adequately informed retirement decision." Unisys, 
    57 F.3d at 1264
    . The issue of materiality is a matter for the fact-
    finder if reasonable minds can differ on whether a
    misleading statement or omission would affect a reasonable
    employee's retirement decision. See Fischer v. Philadelphia
    Elec. Co., 
    994 F.2d 130
    , 135 (3d Cir. 1993).
    This case does not involve affirmative misrepresentations.
    However, we have made clear that a fiduciary not only has
    a negative duty not to misrepresent material facts to plan
    beneficiaries, but also a corresponding affirmative duty to
    speak "when the trustee knows that silence might be
    harmful." Bixler v. Central Pa. Teamsters Health & Welfare
    Fund, 
    12 F.3d 1292
    , 1300 (3rd Cir. 1993). The duty
    extends to "those material facts, known to thefiduciary but
    unknown to the beneficiary, which the beneficiary must
    know for its own protection." Glaziers & Glassworkers
    Union Local No. 252 Annuity Fund v. Newbridge Sec., Inc.,
    
    93 F.3d 1171
    , 1182 (3rd Cir. 1996). "The duty to disclose
    material information is the core of a fiduciary's
    responsibility." 
    Id. at 1281
     (quoting Bixler, 
    12 F.3d at 1300
    ).
    In Bixler, a widow sued her husband's former employer
    for failing to provide complete and accurate information
    about her insurance options, a failure which she claimed
    harmed her by leading her not to select a particular option.
    See 
    12 F.3d at 1296
    . We held that an ERISA fiduciary who
    explains insurance benefits has a "duty to convey complete
    and accurate information," and remanded part of the case
    to the district court to determine whether material facts
    were withheld from her and if the defendant was acting as
    a fiduciary. 
    Id. at 1302
    .
    In Jordan v. Federal Express Corp., 
    116 F.3d 1005
    , 1006-
    10 (3rd Cir. 1997), the plaintiff learned--only after
    retirement and divorce--that he could not transfer the
    benefits of his plan to his new wife, and that the plan was
    irrevocable. These details about the plan were in the plan
    10
    document itself, but Jordan never requested nor received a
    complete copy of the plan, and he claimed that he would
    have chosen a different plan had he known. He did receive
    a written summary of his retirement options that did not
    include a reference to irrevocability. Nonetheless, we held
    that a reasonable fact finder could conclude that, despite
    its full compliance with ERISA and plan-based reporting
    requirements, the plan administrator had breached its
    fiduciary duty by failing to provide him this information.
    See 
    id. at 1016
    .
    Bethlehem argues that Jordan is distinguishable because
    in Jordan the plan administrator had already acted and
    provided incomplete information. See 
    id. at 1016-17
    . It
    contends that sending Jordan information triggered a duty
    to provide complete information about the plan, and since
    Bethlehem did not provide any information, a duty of
    completeness cannot have been triggered here. This
    argument fails for two reasons. First, the Jordan panel did
    not base the duty to inform completely on the company's
    prior limited effort at communication. See 
    id.
     Second,
    providing a written plan is itself an affirmative act. In a
    plan, as in a summary plan document, beneficiaries have
    reason to expect that complete information about all
    material provisions is available to them when they review
    the document. Confusing or incomplete information in a
    plan is at least as likely to cause reliance on a reasonable
    misinterpretation as is confusing or incomplete information
    in a summary of the plan. Indeed, when a summary plan or
    letter includes incomplete information, the employee retains
    the possibility of reviewing the entire plan, whereas there
    are no more authoritative documents to review when the
    ambiguous provision is in the plan itself.
    Therefore, we conclude that there is an incomplete
    disclosure when, as in this case, a material plan provision,
    easily accessible by a beneficiary, uses terms that are
    susceptible to reasonable misinterpretation and detrimental
    reliance thereon. Naturally, in considering the
    "reasonableness" of a beneficiary's interpretation, the
    company's own pronouncements and widely-known
    company practice must be taken into account; if a company
    adequately informs beneficiaries of its interpretation of a
    11
    term (when it retains discretion to interpret), it would be
    patently unreasonable to understand it otherwise. 7 The
    "duty to convey complete and accurate information," Bixler,
    
    12 F.3d at 1302
    , logically encompasses a duty to use clear
    language when describing material terms in a plan, or
    explain it when it is unclear. The failure to notify a
    beneficiary that his or her service is being broken pursuant
    to an ambiguous provision falls within the category of
    breaches of duty for "failure to disclose" outlined in Bixler,
    Jordan, Glaziers, and Unisys.
    III.
    Applying this framework, we conclude that Bethlehem
    should not have been granted summary judgment on
    Harte's breach of fiduciary duty claim. The term
    "compensable disability incurred during the course of
    employment" is a material term in the context of the plan.
    The meaning of the phrase affects whether one's
    employment is considered continuous or broken off, and a
    fiduciary acting with care, skill, and prudence would know
    that an employee would want--and need--to know whether
    his or her disability fell within this category. It is the kind
    of phrase that is likely to "mislead a reasonable employee in
    making an adequately informed retirement decision."
    Unisys, 
    57 F.3d at 1264
    . If Harte knew that he was not
    included in this category, he could have tried to return to
    less strenuous work for at least nineteen days, or
    attempted to find work, either at Bethlehem or elsewhere,
    that would allow him to receive better insurance, or he
    could have encouraged his wife to seek employment that
    would better insure them both.
    The disputed phrase is:
    [A]bsence in excess of two years due to a compensable
    disability incurred during course of employment shall
    not break continuous service.
    _________________________________________________________________
    7. Although we focus on Bethlehem's failure to notify in this case, we
    note that it could just as easily have fulfilled its fiduciary duties by
    using
    clear language in the plan--i.e., a statement that"compensable
    disability" only applied to individuals receiving state worker's
    compensation.
    12
    Bethlehem claims that this phrase has consistently been
    interpreted to cover only those cases where a participant
    applied for and received worker's compensation for a work-
    related injury. However, Dopera himself called his reading
    of the phrase an "interpretation," suggesting that the
    language did not mandate a particular result. Although the
    phrase could refer only to those disabilities arising out of
    work, a reasonable person could also read this phrase to
    apply to any disability, illness, or injury that came upon an
    employee during the broad time frame of "active
    employment." Certainly, someone such as Harte who was
    actually receiving compensation for his medical condition
    through Bethlehem's long term disability program could
    think that he had suffered a "compensable disability."8
    There is a genuine issue of material fact as to whether the
    phrase is susceptible of multiple reasonable interpretations.
    Of course, this phrase cannot be read in a vacuum, and
    it is possible that Bethlehem will present evidence at trial
    that will demonstrate that in the context of employment
    with that company, it was not reasonable to expect that the
    phrase would be differently interpreted. However,
    construing the facts in the light most favorable to Harte, as
    we must at this juncture, we conclude that the phrase was
    susceptible to at least two reasonable interpretations, one
    of which would cover someone like Harte, who was
    receiving compensation through long term disability
    benefits.
    As to the detrimental reliance question, Bethlehem
    argues that there is insufficient evidence that Harte relied
    on his misinterpretation of the plan. Therefore, the
    argument continues, since no harm flowed from the failure
    of communication, the failure to notify should not be
    actionable. Harte counters that had he learned of his
    severance, either immediately or within a short time
    afterwards, he would have taken several steps. He submits
    _________________________________________________________________
    8. Harte also claims that his illness was due in part to the stress of
    work, and adduced evidence that his doctor, at the time he left
    Bethlehem, concurred in this view. This evidence adds weight to his
    claim that he reasonably believed that his disability was "incurred
    during the course of his employment."
    13
    that he could have gone back to work for nineteen days and
    then attempted to join those days to his previous fourteen
    odd years (as the plan allows), or, alternatively, he could
    have applied for different pensions or invested in separate
    insurance. Although Harte has not put evidence in the
    record of alternate pensions for which he could have
    applied, we believe that he could have at least attempted to
    return to work.
    Bethlehem notes that he had no absolute right to return
    to work, and that Harte was physically infirm and
    incapable of working according to his own physician.
    However, just as we cannot assume that Bethlehem would
    have accepted a petition for such a brief tour of duty, we
    similarly cannot assume that it would not have. Harte had
    cardiac troubles, and now claims that he has Parkinson's
    disease. Although these disabilities may be incompatible
    with long term labor, Harte might have been able to put in
    a few weeks of consulting (his work did not require heavy
    labor) to achieve his desired pension, and Bethlehem might
    have accommodated him. Moreover, as noted above, Harte
    could have sought out alternate sources of insurance. We
    are satisfied that although Harte had no absolute right to
    return to work and possibly lacked the ability to do so, a
    reasonable jury could conclude, even on this spare record,
    that had he known that he was no longer receiving credit
    for "continuous service" he could have acted in a way to
    protect himself.9 Now, eight years later, his physical
    condition may have deteriorated such that he can no longer
    obtain the protections he might previously have sought.
    _________________________________________________________________
    9. Bethlehem also argues that even if it had a duty to notify Harte, it
    would not apply to the moment of discharge, but rather, as is its policy,
    "within a reasonable period following a break in service." Therefore,
    "[t]he
    date on which Plaintiff received a Notice of Deferred Vested Pension
    could not possibly alter the benefits to which he is entitled under the
    Plan." However, Bethlehem's internal policy of notification does not
    circumscribe its fiduciary duties under ERISA. If ERISA requires that
    fiduciaries notify individuals of ambiguities in plan documents if they
    might reasonably be respected to rely, to their detriment, on an incorrect
    reading of an ambiguity, a company may not avoid this duty by
    establishing a lesser reporting requirement for itself.
    14
    It may seem that any one who was away from the
    company as long as Harte was would have to know that
    they had been severed. But Harte continued to receive long
    term disability payments, and considered himself a disabled
    employee, instead of a disabled ex-employee. In sum, we
    believe that a jury could conclude that Harte was not even
    on constructive notice of Bethlehem's policy of interpreting
    the plan provision, or of his own severance.
    In view of the foregoing, the judgment with respect to the
    claim for a breach of fiduciary duty for failure to notify will
    be vacated, and the case remanded to the District Court for
    further proceedings. In all other respects the judgment will
    be affirmed. Parties to bear their own costs.
    A True Copy:
    Teste:
    Clerk of the United States Court of Appeals
    for the Third Circuit
    15