Yet another lawsuit has been filed against Unum Life Insurance Company of America, alleging unfair denial of Unum employee benefits.

The plaintiff, Kelli T., is a resident of Tennessee, where she held a career as an attorney from August 1989 through September 2015, or around twenty-five years. Her positions over the years with her employer, Baker Donelson, were associate attorney, shareholder, office managing shareholder and counsel.

In October 2001, Kelli was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. Her rheumatoid arthritis gradually grew more debilitating, leading to a variety of chronic medical issues, including joint damage, joint and tissue pain, lung damage, swelling and chronic fatigue.

She went through multiple surgeries and hospitalizations during this period of time, while she was working her rheumatoid arthritis was worsening.

By 2015, she was “unable to perform the material and substantial duties of her occupation,” the lawsuit claims. As such, under the Unum employee benefits plan offered through her company, Kelli filed for long term disability benefits in September 2015, when she became unable to work.

Unfortunately, Kelli’s Unum employee benefits were denied by the insurance giant.

Of course, Unum can deny Unum employee benefits to those who are “unable to perform the material and substantial duties of [their] regular occupation,” however, this is based off of the tasks required for the employee’s particular occupation, not for just any job.

According to Kelli’s lawsuit, her Unum employee benefits were denied based on her ability to perform a job with much less complex requirements than was required for her work as an attorney.

Kelli responded to this denial of Unum employee benefits by appealing the denial in September 2016, including fourteen years’ worth of medical records and information about how her condition prevents her from performing essential requirements of her job.

Her appeal was again denied. After exhausting all administrative approaches to her Unum employee benefits problem, Kelli turned to litigation. She filed this lawsuit against Unum in the hopes of being granted the benefits she claims she was wrongfully denied.

Denial of Unum Employee Benefits

A growing number of plaintiffs like Kelli have begun filing disability benefits lawsuits against Unum Life Insurance, seeking a reinstatement of disability benefits. Lawsuits allege that the insurance giant unfairly denied their claims to disability benefits that they qualify for under the terms of their insurance policies.

This Unum employee benefits lawsuit and others like it allege that Unum, as the largest disability insurance company in the country, has unfairly denied the disability insurance claims of plaintiffs who are qualified to receive such benefits.

Some lawsuits go further, alleging that the company purposely denied the claims of hundreds of thousands of workers with legitimate disabilities for no reason other to increase company profit.

Filing a Unum Employee Benefits Lawsuit

If you or someone you know has been unfairly denied long-term disability benefits by Unum Life Insurance Company of America, you may be able to seek reinstatement of disability benefits by filing an Unum employee benefits lawsuit.

The Unum Employee Benefits Lawsuit is Case No. 3:17-cv-00253-TRM-HBG, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, Knoxville Division.