In the United States Supreme Court case of United Air Lines, Inc. v. McMann in 1977, the court ruled on a dispute involving pension benefits for employees who had retired early due to disability. The plaintiff, Robert McMann, was an airline pilot who took early retirement after being diagnosed with heart disease and subsequently sued his former employer claiming that he should have been entitled to full pension benefits rather than reduced ones because his medical condition forced him into retirement earlier than planned. However, the Supreme Court sided with United Airlines stating that since McMann voluntarily chose to retire early and accept reduced benefits under a plan offered by his employer - despite knowing about other options available - he could not later claim additional compensation based on what might have occurred if he had chosen differently at the time of retirement.

In the dissenting opinion for United Air Lines, Inc. v. McMann, Justice Brennan disagreed with the majority's decision that an employee who voluntarily retired could not later sue his employer under ERISA (Employee Retirement Income Security Act). He argued that this interpretation of voluntary retirement was too narrow and did not take into account whether or not the employee had been misled about their pension benefits prior to retiring. In his view, if an employee was deceived into taking early retirement based on false information about their pension plan provided by their employer, then they should have a right to legal recourse under ERISA. This would ensure employers are held accountable for providing accurate and complete information regarding employees' rights and benefits.