Claiming Unum Life Insurance Company wrongfully denied her long-term disability benefits, Ohio resident, Melissa E., filed a Unum lawsuit in the U.S District Court, Southern District of Ohio, Western Division.

After exhausting all her administrative appeals to the insurance provider, Melissa filed the Unum lawsuit, accusing Unum is of breaching its obligations under ERISA, asking for declaratory relief, reinstatement of her long-term disability benefits and reimbursement for her attorneys’ fees.

According to the Unum lawsuit, Melissa, a former employee of Humana, became disabled and ceased working in March 2013 when serious medical problems left her unable to fulfill the physical demands of her position.

Melissa received short-term disability for approximately six months and then received long-term disability until May 2014 when she was informed that Unum would no longer be paying her disability benefits.

Unum Denied Disability Claims

Unum, formerly known as Paul Revere, Provident, and then Unum Provident, is the world’s largest disability insurance company with approximately 10,000 employees. Unum has allegedly systematically denied Unum insurance to thousands of policyholders in the past two decades.

Unum and its subsidiaries, including Provident Life, The Paul Revere Life Insurance Company and Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company have been subject to numerous Unum lawsuits for alleged bad faith insurance practices including illegally refusing to pay valid disability claims.

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

• Changing policies after claims are filed (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 independent medical examiners
• Demanding repeated requests for independent medical examinations or denying a claim without any medical examination
• Refusing to acknowledge a disability, 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 Lawsuits

Unum lawsuits filed against the insurance provider allege the company committed fraud and breach of contract. Many Unum lawsuits stem from denial of legitimate Unum long-term disability insurance claims in which the insurance company allegedly unfairly and improperly fails to compensate the insured for a loss covered by their policy, or unreasonably delays making payments due under the policy.

If you or a loved one have suffered a serious disability while insured by Unum and have been denied disability claim benefits, you may be eligible to file an Unum lawsuit.

The Unum Lawsuit is Case No. 1:15-cv-00443-TSB, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Western Division.