Unum Denies Stroke Victim’s Disability Insurance Claim

Larry Riggs of Florida has sued the insurance behemoth Unum, alleging that they have failed to honor his legitimate long-term disability insurance claim and violated insurance regulations in the process.

Riggs was employed at a company called Booth Creek, which covered their employees under long-term disability insurance through Unum.

Per the Unum lawsuit, Riggs has been disabled from Middle Cerebral Artery Stenosis, a potentially-lethal narrowing of the arteries that supply the brain with blood, alongside neuropathy (damage to the nervous system), impaired cognition and other medical problems. MCA often goes hand-in-hand with other neurological issues like stroke.

According to the Unum lawsuit, Riggs’s ability to perform his work duties was limited since April of 2007, and he was disabled per the guidelines of his LTD insurance policy with Unum. The text of the Unum lawsuit cites the specific definition of disabled spelled out in Unum’s LTD insurance policy.

Riggs was initially approved under Unum, and Unum paid out his long-term disability benefits through June of 2012. However, Unum sent a letter in June of 2012 alleging that Riggs was not disabled. In February of 2013, Riggs appealed the decision through Unum, and in March of 2013 Unum upheld their decision.

The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) — a federal act that regulates insurance policies like LTD policies — requires that individuals exhaust internal appeals processes before pursuing civil litigation.

The Unum disability lawsuit was filed to recover the benefits and clarify Riggs’s right to future benefits under the terms of his long-term disability insurance policy with Unum. The lawsuit contends that Unum’s actions constitute bad faith, and that his policy was not legally denied. The lawsuit also asserts that Unum’s actions constitute a breach of the protections afforded by ERISA, a law designed to protect policyholders’ interests when their benefits are in dispute.

The case is formally titled Larry Riggs v. Unum Life Insurance Company of America, Case No. 0:13-cv-62047-JIC, United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, filed September 20, 2013.

Were You Denied by Unum?

If you, or someone you care about had an LTD insurance claim denied by Unum, you have almost certainly found yourself facing a challenging situation. People in such a situation count on insurance benefits to guarantee them a source of income when a disability has rendered them unable to work. When this falls through, people often do not have a backup plan or any way to support themselves. A sense of depression at such an overwhelming situation is a perfectly normal response.

But you need to remember that you still have rights, and there are steps that you can take to regain a measure of control over your situation. You can start by visiting the Unum/UnumProvident Disability Insurance Claim Denial Class Action Lawsuit Investigation. Here, you can enter information about your situation for a free legal review by a trained expert with a background in this type of litigation. From here, you can receive specific guidance on the best steps to take in your exact situation. The initial consultation is completely free of charge.