Advocate Health Care Network v. Stapleton
Advocate Health Care Network v. Stapleton,, was a United States Supreme Court case in which the court held that a plan maintained by a principal-purpose organization qualifies as a "church plan," regardless of who established it.
Background
The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974Three church-affiliated nonprofits, including Advocate Health Care Network, that run hospitals and other healthcare facilities, offer their employees defined-benefit pension plans. Those plans were established by the hospitals themselves, and are managed by internal employee-benefits committees. Current and former hospital employees, including Maria Stapleton, filed class actions alleging that the hospitals' pension plans did not fall within ERISA's church-plan exemption because they were not established by a church. The federal district courts, agreeing with the employees, held that a plan must be established by a church to qualify as a church plan. The Courts of Appeals affirmed.