Unum Life Insurance Company faces a lawsuit alleging that it wrongfully denied long-term disability (LTD) benefits. Disability insurance provides financial benefits to employees when they are unable to work due to a disability caused by a covered illness or injury, regardless of whether or not that illness or injury is work-related.

According to the Unum lawsuit, Plaintiff Dr. Ray Crouch was denied long-term disability benefits from his Unum LTD policy. Dr. Crouch, a former cardiothoracic surgeon, was diagnosed with cervical dystonia in 2012 and subsequently had to cease his surgical career. He submitted a claim for long-term disability benefits through his Unum LTD plan.

However, Unum claims that Dr. Crouch is not eligible for benefits under the Unum LTD plan because his occupation is not deemed to be that of a cardiovascular/thoracic surgeon but is actually an Associate Medical Director, the position to which Dr. Crouch was relegated at less than one-third his previous salary.

The Unum claim denial lawsuit further accuses the defendants of purposely punishing Dr. Crouch by a denial of benefits because he continued to work to the full extent of his ability until his employer could find a replacement.

Unum Denial Tactics

Unum (formerly known as Unum Provident and First Unum) has written disability insurance policies for approximately 17 million Americans, making it the largest disability insurance provider in the United States. The insurer has allegedly denied countless insurance claims to thousands of policyholders in the past two decades.

Some examples of Unum’s alleged insurance claim denial tactics include:

• Changing policies after claims are filed (and without the authorization or knowledge of policy holders)
• Improperly investigating the claim and obtaining opinions from unqualified people/supposed experts
• Misreading medical records, often by their independent medical examiners
• Demanding repeated requests for independent medical examinations or denying a claim without any medical examination
• Refusing to acknowledge some disabilities, especially mental disorders, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue syndrome
• Arguing that the claim is a pre-existing condition.
• Denying a claim with the intent to wear the claimant down to a lower settlement
• Partially paying a claim for total disability
• Use of detectives, friends, co-workers and neighbors in an attempt to discredit the disability

Unum Disability Insurance Lawsuits

Unum and its subsidiaries, including Provident Life, The Paul Revere Life Insurance Company and Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company, have been subject to numerous lawsuits for illegally refusing to pay valid disability claims. Policyholders have filed Unum lawsuits against the insurance company for practicing bad faith insurance and denying their Unum long term disability insurance claims.

The Unum Long Term Disability Insurance Lawsuit is Ray D. Crouch M.D. v. Unum Life Insurance Company of America, et al., Case No. 2:14-cv-01365-MBC, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.