Raymond B. Yates, M.d., P.c. Profit Sharing Plan, and Raymond B. Yates, Trustee v. William T. Hendon, Trustee
Decided March 2, 2004. Ruth Bader Ginsburg delivered the opinion of the Court.
Docket 02-458 · 541 U.S. 1 (2004) · Cited 171 times
Holding
The working owner of a business (here, the sole shareholder and president of a professional corporation) may qualify as a “participant” in a pension plan covered by ERISA.
The Court’s statement of the holding, from the opinion’s syllabus. The syllabus is prepared by the Reporter of Decisions and is not part of the opinion of the Court — read the official opinion for authority.
How the Justices voted
Decided 9–0.
Majority · 7
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg · delivered the opinion of the Court
- Anthony McLeod Kennedy
- David Hackett Souter
- John Paul Stevens
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- Stephen Gerald Breyer
- William Hubbs Rehnquist
Concurring · 2
- Antonin Scalia · filed a concurring opinion
- Clarence Thomas · filed a concurring opinion
“Concurring” means agreeing with the outcome; any split shown is the Court’s judgment, not each Justice’s reasoning. Source: the Supreme Court Database (Spaeth et al.), Washington University.
Precedents cited
Supreme Court decisions this opinion relies on, ordered by how often it cites each. Cases in our collection link through; others are named.
- Nationwide Mutual Insurance v. Darden · 503 U.S. 318 (1992)
- Nachman Corp. v. Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation · 446 U.S. 359 (1980)
- Clackamas Gastroenterology Associates, P. C. v. Wells · 538 U.S. 440 (2003)
- United States v. Mead Corp. · 533 U.S. 218 (2001)
- Barnhart v. Thomas · 540 U.S. 20 (2003)
- Chevron U. S. A. Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. · 467 U.S. 837 (1984)
- Skidmore v. Swift & Co. · 323 U.S. 134 (1944)
- Patterson v. Shumate · 504 U.S. 753 (1992)
- Begier v. Internal Revenue Service · 496 U.S. 53 (1990)
- Mead Corp. v. Tilley · 490 U.S. 714 (1989)
Cited by
Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.
- Meacham v. Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory · 554 U.S. 84 (2008)
Official text
Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)
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Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (2004). Citation count from the Free Law Project’s CourtListener bulk data. Data last verified 2026-07-03. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).