Unum Life Insurance Company has recently been under fire for alleged bad faith insurance practices specifically involving denied disability benefits for pharmacists.
Pharmacists and other policyholders who pay for disability insurance premiums hope to be able to rely on disability benefits if they are ever unable to work for any extended period of time.
However, many times these claims are allegedly denied without any reasonable basis for the denied disability claim. According to insurance lawyers, it is often allegedly abusive claim handling tactics by Unum that leads to disabled individuals, including pharmacists, being denied disability benefits.
Unum Denies Pharmacists Disability Claims
One example of Unum wrongfully denying disability benefits for pharmacists involves a Georgia plaintiff. Plaintiff James F. allegedly applied for short-term disability coverage after an injury, but had been denied without proper justification by the defendant, according to his Unum lawsuit.
James was employed as a pharmacist for CVS, which provided both long-term and short-term disability benefits for their employees.
According to the Unum lawsuit, in February 2011 James developed his disability that prevented him from working at full-capacity as a pharmacist.
James filed a claim for short-term disability benefits in a timely manner after his disability occurred, and provided all required documentation, along with sufficient medical evidence to support his claim that he was disabled due to chronic back injuries and severe depression, which prevented him from doing his job.
Despite following the submission requirements and medical testimony, James says Unum chose to deny his disability benefits, concluding that he was not considered disabled while a member of an eligible group under the terms and conditions of their short-term disability plan. James appealed this decision, providing further medical evidence, including a written statement from his treating physician.
Still, Unum kept firm on their decision, essentially stating that James did not qualify for disability benefits under the plan. James filed a bad faith insurance lawsuit against Unum, seeking all missed disability benefits, interest, and legal fee coverage.
Another example of Unum’s bad faith insurance practices involving pharmacists is the case of Anna B. A former pharmacist for Workers Comp RX Inc., Anna suffered from a degenerative hip condition. Her insurer, Unum, denied her claim for long-term disability benefits based upon an alleged pre-existing condition.
After commencing litigation and filing cross-motions for summary judgment, the court found in accordance with ERISA that Unum’s decision to deny Anna’s disability benefits claim was without merit and an abuse of discretion. The court awarded Anna full disability benefits.
Bad Faith Insurance Lawsuits
Companies like Unum have a history of denying pharmacists, like James and Anna, the benefits they deserve unless a settlement or verdict forces them to do so. According to insurance lawyers, insurance companies often act in bad faith when they wrongfully deny valid insurance claims.
Policyholders can sue insurance companies when this happens and may be entitled to recover the unpaid disability benefits or insurance benefits, as well as collect on damages that they may have incurred.
If you or a loved one was wrongfully denied disability benefits by Unum, an experienced insurance lawyer can review your case and explain your legal options at no charge.
Do YOU have a legal claim? Fill out the form on this page now for a free, immediate, and confidential case evaluation. The bad faith insurance attorneys who work with Top Class Actions will contact you if you qualify to let you know if an individual lawsuit or Unum class action lawsuit is best for you. [In general, Unum bad faith lawsuits are filed individually by each plaintiff and are not class actions.] Hurry — statutes of limitations may apply.
Top Class Actions is a Proud Member of the American Bar Association
LEGAL INFORMATION IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE
Top Class Actions Legal Statement
©2008 – 2016 Top Class Actions® LLC
Various Trademarks held by their respective owners
Get Help – It’s Free
Join a Free Unum Class Action Lawsuit Investigation
If you were denied a disability claim or had your Unum disability benefits terminated without reason, you may be able to take legal action against the insurer. See if you qualify by filling out the short form below.
An attorney will contact you if you qualify to discuss the details of your potential case at no charge to you.
- First Name*
- Last Name*
- Street Address*
- Apt. #
- City*
- State*
AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyomingArmed Forces AmericasArmed Forces EuropeArmed Forces Pacific
- Zip Code*
- Phone*
- Email*
- Have you or a loved one been denied disability insurance?*
YesNo
- Please check the insurance companies who denied your claim:*
-
Unum Group
-
UnumProvidentSecond Choice
-
Unum Life Insurance Company of AmericaThird Choice
-
New England Life Insurance Company
-
John Hancock Financial
-
John Hancock Insurance Company
-
Metropolitan Life Insurance Company
-
Provident Life & Accident Insurance Company
-
Provident Life & Casualty Insurance Company
-
Paul Revere Life Insurance Company (Paul Revere Life)
-
Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company (Colonial)
-
Colonial Life Insurance Company
-
Genex
-
Duncanson & Holt
-
MetLife (Metropolitan Life)
-
New England Life and Equitable Insurance
-
Equitable Life Insurance Company
-
Other
-
- ¿Necesita un orador español?
- Yes
- No
- Please enter any additional details you would like the staff reviewing your submission to know.*
- I understand and agree that submitting this form does not create an attorney-client relationship and that the information I submit is not confidential or privileged and may be shared.*
-
Yes
-
-
if(typeof gf_global == ‘undefined’) var gf_global = {“gf_currency_config”:{“name”:”U.S. Dollar”,”symbol_left”:”$”,”symbol_right”:””,”symbol_padding”:””,”thousand_separator”:”,”,”decimal_separator”:”.”,”decimals”:2},”base_url”:”http:\/\/topclassactions.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/gravityforms”,”number_formats”:[],”spinnerUrl”:”http:\/\/topclassactions.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/gravityforms\/images\/spinner.gif”};jQuery(document).bind(‘gform_post_render’, function(event, formId, currentPage){if(formId == 32) {gformInitChosenFields(‘#input_32_5′,’No results matched’);if(!/(android)/i.test(navigator.userAgent)){jQuery(‘#input_32_7’).mask(‘(999) 999-9999’).bind(‘keypress’, function(e){if(e.which == 13){jQuery(this).blur();} } );}} } );jQuery(document).bind(‘gform_post_conditional_logic’, function(event, formId, fields, isInit){gformInitChosenFields(‘#input_32_5′,’No results matched’);} ); jQuery(document).ready(function(){jQuery(document).trigger(‘gform_post_render’, [32, 1]) } );
The post Unum May Be Denying Pharmacists’ Disability Benefits appeared first on Top Class Actions.
No comments:
Post a Comment