A case heard recently before the U.S. District Court in the District of Massachusetts highlights the fact that a long-term disability plan administrator can choose to deny a claim even though the person making the claim may not be able to find employment. The plan administrator does not claim to offer unemployment benefits, so if
Disability Insurance Cases Nationwide
Hartford pays disability benefits for 12 years and then uses video surveillance to deny benefits
Our disability insurance law firm was recently contacted by a woman that has been denied long-term disability benefits by Hartford. The claim is currently pending, but I asked if I could share her story so that others could learn about the real actions taken by disability companies such as Hartford. I strongly advise all disability…
Are attorney fees payable in long term disability insurance cases governed by ERISA?
Imagine a disability claimant has their long-term disability claim denied, files an appeal which is denied, then files a lawsuit to recover disability insurance benefits. After 2 years since the first denial and hundreds of hours of litigation, the court says the disability carrier needs to reconsider their claim denial. The disability carriers argues that…
Dentist and doctors: beware of the Standard Insurance Company Group’s long-term disability policy
The Standard Insurance Company sells multiple different long-term disability policies to dentist and other medical professionals. The difference in each policy is usually the definition of disability. In my opinion, the following definition of Own Occupation Disability sold by Standard is called an Own Occupation definition, but it is not a true Own Occupation…
MetLife ordered to reverse denial of long-term disability insurance benefits
Once again, long-term disability insurance provider Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MetLife) has been ordered by the court to reverse a long-term disability denial because the Court found the grounds for denying the benefits were arbitrary and capricious. This is a far too common occurrence, and one that disability insurance attorneys see frequently.
We are going…
MetLife denies long-term disability benefits to a consultant after approving them
In the case we are going to look at, a disability insurance attorney found himself representing a client who believed that Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MetLife) had wrongfully denied the extension of his long-term disability benefits. This is a far too common occurrence, and one that disability insurance attorneys see frequently. As we look at…
Unum denies disability benefits to a Minnesota legal secretary with pre-existing condition
This is a case in which Unum’s decisions to deny benefits was consistent with the policy language. Employer-provided group disability insurance plans are different from individual plans. An employer-provided disability plan depends upon the employer/employee relationship. If something happens to interrupt this employer/employee connection it can have consequences, as Carol Jones discovered.
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Life Insurance Company of North America (CIGNA) ordered to supply information to disability insurance attorneys
Attorneys Seek Information In Order to Prove Conflict of Interest Impacted Claim Denial
Another case appeared recently before the United States District Court, Northern District of Indiana, Hammond Division. It sheds light on motions to compel. We will look at the background behind the motion before looking at how the Court evaluated the need for…
LINA (CIGNA) denies long-term disability benefits to yellowbook Account Executive
The case we will look at here demonstrates once again how reviewing a disability denial under the abuse of discretion standard can favor an insurance company’s disability denial. All the insurance company must prove is that the process used to come to a claims decision was logical and reasonable. As you read the following case…
Life Insurance Company Of North America (CIGNA) wrongfully denies disability benefits to a Kentucky repairman
This case is a sad example of how a disability claimant can battle a disability insurance company in an ERISA lawsuit for several years and then have a Judge give the insurance company another opportunity to wrongfully deny disability benefits.
As an employee of Philips Lighting Company, 55-year-old Ronald E. Cox had been a repairman…