{"argument_date":"2010-04-26T00:00:00Z","arguments":[{"argument_date":"2010-04-26T00:00:00Z","heading":"What happened at the argument","official_detail_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcript/2009","official_transcript_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","paragraphs":["Mr. Ates argued the insurer violated ERISA in bad faith.","Mr. Rosenkranz argued no judge decided the merits.","chief_justice_roberts_asked_if_courts_should_wait_for_final_outcomes."],"reargument":false,"sequence":1,"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 10, lines 11-17","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 10, lines 11-17"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 11, lines 15-19","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 11, lines 15-19"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 15, lines 33-15","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 15, lines 33-15"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 26, lines 43-5","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 26, lines 43-5"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 19-45","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 19-45"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 47-5","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 47-5"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 7-17","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 7-17"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 13-29","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 4, lines 13-29"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 5, lines 17-27","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 5, lines 17-27"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 5, lines 45-3","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 5, lines 45-3"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 6, lines 27-31","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 6, lines 27-31"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 6, lines 35-41","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 6, lines 35-41"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 7, lines 35-49","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 7, lines 35-49"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 7, lines 9-15","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 7, lines 9-15"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 8, lines 7-13","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 8, lines 7-13"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 9, lines 29-47","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 9, lines 29-47"}]}],"caption":"Hardt v. Reliance Standard Life Ins. Co.","case_history":[{"changed_at":"2026-08-29T20:06:25.511753Z","explanation":"An official oral-argument transcript was verified.","status":"argued"}],"case_status":"argued","dek":"The dispute centers on whether a court can award attorney fees before the final benefits decision.","dek_sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 15, lines 33-15","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 15, lines 33-15"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 26, lines 43-5","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 26, lines 43-5"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 19-45","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 19-45"}],"dispositions":[],"latest_court_document_date":"2010-04-26T00:00:00Z","maturity":"official_transcript","official_detail_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcript/2009","official_disposition_urls":[],"official_docket_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/docket/docketfiles/html/public/09-448.html","primary_docket":"09-448","revisions":[{"correction_note":"Rewritten to the concise citizen-facing editorial standard.","created_at":"2026-08-31T01:09:06.608590Z","maturity":"official_transcript","revision_number":1},{"correction_note":"Migrated to the dated official Court activity contract without model use.","created_at":"2026-09-05T03:22:24Z","maturity":"official_transcript","revision_number":2}],"schema_version":"1.1","sections":[{"heading":"What this case is about","paragraphs":["This case involves a dispute over attorney fees in an ERISA benefits case."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 15, lines 33-15","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 15, lines 33-15"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 26, lines 43-5","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 26, lines 43-5"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 19-45","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 19-45"}]},{"heading":"How the case got here","paragraphs":["The Supreme Court heard oral argument in this case on April 26, 2010."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 7-17","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 7-17"}]},{"heading":"What each side wants","paragraphs":["the side that brought the case wants fees for securing benefits.","the opposing side wants no fees without final success."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 15, lines 33-15","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 15, lines 33-15"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 26, lines 43-5","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 26, lines 43-5"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 19-45","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 19-45"}]},{"heading":"What each side says","paragraphs":["the side that brought the case argues the insurer acted in bad faith.","the opposing side argues no judge decided the merits."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 15, lines 33-15","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 15, lines 33-15"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 26, lines 43-5","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 26, lines 43-5"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 19-45","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 19-45"}]},{"heading":"What the justices asked","paragraphs":["Justice Ginsburg asked if fees vanish if disability is not proved.","Justice Kennedy asked if fees apply if the claim is frivolous."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 10, lines 11-17","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 10, lines 11-17"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 11, lines 15-19","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 11, lines 15-19"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 47-5","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 47-5"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 13-29","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 4, lines 13-29"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 5, lines 17-27","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 5, lines 17-27"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 5, lines 45-3","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 5, lines 45-3"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 6, lines 27-31","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 6, lines 27-31"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 6, lines 35-41","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 6, lines 35-41"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 7, lines 35-49","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 7, lines 35-49"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 7, lines 9-15","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 7, lines 9-15"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 8, lines 7-13","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 8, lines 7-13"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 9, lines 29-47","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 9, lines 29-47"}]},{"heading":"Why it matters","paragraphs":["This case defines when courts can award fees in benefits disputes."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 15, lines 33-15","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 15, lines 33-15"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 26, lines 43-5","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 26, lines 43-5"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 19-45","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 19-45"}]},{"heading":"What happens next","paragraphs":["This article currently covers the argument record. Use the official docket link for later case activity."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 10, lines 11-17","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 10, lines 11-17"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 11, lines 15-19","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 11, lines 15-19"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 47-5","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 47-5"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 7-17","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 7-17"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 13-29","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 4, lines 13-29"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 5, lines 17-27","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 5, lines 17-27"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 5, lines 45-3","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 5, lines 45-3"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 6, lines 27-31","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 6, lines 27-31"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 6, lines 35-41","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 6, lines 35-41"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 7, lines 35-49","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 7, lines 35-49"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 7, lines 9-15","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 7, lines 9-15"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 8, lines 7-13","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 8, lines 7-13"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 9, lines 29-47","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 9, lines 29-47"}]}],"slug":"2009-09-448-hardt-v-reliance-standard-life-ins-co","term":"2009","title":"Can a court award fees before a final benefits decision?","title_sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 15, lines 33-15","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 15, lines 33-15"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 26, lines 43-5","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 26, lines 43-5"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 19-45","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2009/09-448.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 19-45"}],"topics":[],"undated_disposition_date_fallback":null,"updated_at":"2026-09-05T03:22:24Z"}