I could be wrong, but I think welookgood.com's question on the meaning of "earned" was in conjuction with the requirement to "earn elite status" not points.

My thoughts would be that "earned" equals "attained". If in the past, one had attained Platinum status by any means (i.e. 75 nights in a year, Marriott comped them the status, you met a challenge to get that status, etc), then you are eligible to receive Emeritus Platinum status should you meet all other requirements.