Today in Matthew Long v. Chattanooga Fire and Police Pension Fund, the Tennessee Supreme Court reinstated the Chattanooga Fire and Police Pension Fund’s (Fund) denial of the plaintiff’s pension benefits. The plaintiff, Matthew Long, was a firefighter. In 2020, he applied for job-related disability pension benefits due to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. After a hearing with Mr. Long and the Board of Trustees, the Chattanooga Fire and Police Pension Fund denied Mr. Long benefits.
Mr. Long appealed to the Hamilton County Chancery Court. The Chancery Court reversed the denial and awarded benefits because it found that there was not sufficient and material evidence for the Fund’s decision to deny benefits. The Fund then appealed to the Court of Appeals. The Court of Appeals determined that because the Disability Benefits Policy was ambiguous, it should have been interpreted in favor of Mr. Long rather than the Board of Trustees. The Court of Appeals then affirmed the Chancery Court because the Fund did not interpret the Policy to favor Mr. Long and he was eligible for benefits under that interpretation.
On appeal, the Tennessee Supreme Court disagreed. The Court found that the Policy, where it outlines qualifications for a job-related disability, was not ambiguous. The Court applied a fair reading of the Policy using the plain meaning of the term “unexpected,” as it relates to a traumatic event. The Court then determined that the Fund’s initial denial of benefits should be upheld because there was substantial and material evidence in the record to support its decision.
To read the Court’s opinion in Matthew Long v. Chattanooga Fire and Police Pension Fund, authored by Justice Mary L. Wagner, go to the opinions section of TNCourts.gov.