Meredith Friesen  |  January 26, 2015

Category: Consumer News

Top Class Actions’s website and social media posts use affiliate links. If you make a purchase using such links, we may receive a commission, but it will not result in any additional charges to you. Please review our Affiliate Link Disclosure for more information.

Unum disabiliy insurance problems

An Unum disability insurance denial lawsuit was filed against Unum Life Insurance company, claiming the disability insurance provider used bad faith insurance practices against the plaintiff. This is one of thousands of Unum lawsuits that have been filed concerning alleged wrongful termination of long-term disability benefits.

The Unum lawsuit was filed by plaintiff Nasreen A. in California federal court. Nasreen was an employee of Bluetrain Corporation where she worked as a Senior Oracle Database Administrator. Her job required her to sit for long periods of time and engage in repetitive motions.

In 2001, the plaintiff filed for short-term disability through Unum Life Insurance Company. According to the Unum disability insurance denial lawsuit, she allegedly suffered from fibromyalgia, joint pain, degenerative disc disease, and several other severe joint conditions in addition to bipolar disorder and severe anxiety.

In 2002, the plaintiff was diagnosed with medical and lateral epicondylitis, which “classified her as indisputably and clearly disabled and unable to work due to her disabilities,” and would have entitled her to Unum disability benefits, according to her Unum lawsuit.

When Nasreen eventually filed for long-term disability benefits, she was denied her disability claim by Unum, according to the disability insurance lawsuit. She fought her disability insurance denial five years later when she asked Unum for a reassessment. In December 2007, Unum reversed their disability insurance denial and granted the plaintiff the long-term disability benefits she was entitled to by her disability insurance plan.

Unum Disability Insurance Denial

Yet two years later, Unum again, through alleged bad faith insurance practices, terminated the plaintiff’s long-term disability benefits, “despite the fact that [the plaintiff] was and remains unable to perform the substantial and material duties of her own or any gainful occupation,” according to the Unum lawsuit.

Nasreen filed this Unum lawsuit accusing Unum of bad faith insurance practices, claiming the company did not fully examine her claim and wrongfully denied her Unum disability benefits. She further alleges Unum also failed to provide her with a detailed explanation as to why they denied her long-term disability benefits.

Nasreen also claims that Unum practiced bad faith insurance with her first disability insurance denial in 2002 and repeated this process when they revoked her benefits in 2014.

This Unum Lawsuit also alleges the life insurance company breached fiduciary duties under ERISA, which states that Unum must act in the best interest of their beneficiaries. The Unum lawsuit lists several violations of fiduciary duties including refusing to pay Nasreen her Unum disability benefits, “improperly terminating [long-term disability benefits],” and relying on biased medical opinions as grounds for disability insurance denial.

Nasreen is one of thousands of individuals who have filed Unum lawsuits against one of the largest disability insurance providers in the country, all similarly alleging Unum regularly denies long-term disability benefits to their qualifying policyholders. 

This Unum Lawsuit is Case No. 3:15-cv-00076, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

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.

Learn More

We tell you about cash you can claim EVERY WEEK! Sign up for our free newsletter.


Get Help – It’s Free

Get Help With Your Long Term Disability Insurance Appeal

If you were denied a disability claim or had your disability benefits terminated without reason, you may be able to take legal action. 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.

  • The law firm responsible for the content of this page is: The Wilkins Law Firm, PLLC
  • Please note that if you were not denied by at least one of these companies, you will not qualify for this investigation.
  • We tell you about cash you can claim every week! Subscribe to our free newsletter today.
    By checking this box, I consent to receive from Top Class Actions marketing emails and/or marketing calls or text messages sent by an automatic telephone dialing system. I consent to Top Class Actions providing my phone number and email address to the lawyers or their agents sponsoring this investigation, and their co-counsel, if any, and I consent to receive marketing calls, text messages, and/or emails from those lawyers or their agents. I understand that this authorization overrides any previous registrations on a federal or state Do Not Call registry. You may opt out at any time. You can review Top Class Actions' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy here.
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Please note: Top Class Actions is not a settlement administrator or law firm. Top Class Actions is a legal news source that reports on class action lawsuits, class action settlements, drug injury lawsuits and product liability lawsuits. Top Class Actions does not process claims and we cannot advise you on the status of any class action settlement claim. You must contact the settlement administrator or your attorney for any updates regarding your claim status, claim form or questions about when payments are expected to be mailed out.