Unum Life Insurance Company of America is facing allegations of bad faith from a woman claiming the company failed to give her a fair and proper review.

Unum is one of the largest disability providers in the United States but has garnered an infamous reputation for using bad faith insurance tactics to declare a wrongful claim denial. These allegations are coming from a woman from Maryland, stating she was supposed to be provided disability coverage through her employer should she ever need it.

Plaintiff Lashandra B. says she had been fully employed as an Administrative Assistant for TD&P Consulting and had continued this occupation until she became disabled.

According to her claim denial lawsuit, Lashandra was forced to cease working on Jan. 4, 2018, after being diagnosed with optic neuritis and infection. She says she also suffers from cervical and lumbar stenosis, which make it impossible to work in even a sedentary occupation.

Lashandra initially applied for short term benefits and was approved by Unum, but reportedly faced much greater difficulty when she applied for long term coverage.

Long Term Disability Claim

According to her Unum lawsuit, Lashandra applied for long term benefits and was denied on May 25, 2018. There are various details in a disability claim that if missed lead to denial, but Lashandra says her denial happened despite her providing relevant medical documentation detailing the severity of her condition.

In addition to the medical documentation provided, Lashandra qualified for long term disability coverage based on Unum’s eligibility requirements. According to these terms, Lashandra had to lose at least 20 percent of her income and be unable to work in a similar occupation due to this disability. All of this was stated in her claim for long term disability, she says.

Even with these facts, Lashandra says she was still denied her long term disability coverage and faced similar results when she filed an appeal. According to the claim denial lawsuit, not only did Unum deny her long term disability coverage but also the premium benefits she was entitled to under her life insurance policy.  When this happens, individuals try to get their benefits reinstated.

Overview of Unum Claim Denial Behavior

Since she became disabled, Lashandra says she has been unable to work or earn a sufficient income and is contending with mounting medical bills. She is not alone. Lashandra’s allegations of wrongful claim denial have been echoed numerous times in the United States, with Unum getting a bad reputation for bad faith insurance tactics in 2002. During this time, a 60 Minutes documentary had highlighted the company’s alleged systemic claim denial tactics of eligible policyholders.

Unum is one of the largest disability providers in the United States, with millions of policyholders who rightfully expect coverage when they become disabled, so the company’s reputation for wrongful claim denial is quite troubling. The bad faith insurance tactics that Unum has been accused of using include, but are not limited to:

• Changing policies after claims are filed
• Improperly investigating claims and getting opinions from unqualified individuals
• Relying on the opinion of their independent medical examiners, who often misreading medical records
• Refusing to acknowledge disabilities, especially in cases for mental disease, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue syndrome

Lashandra is seeking damages for all missing disability benefit payments, along with any other relevant damages.  Her Claim Denial Lawsuit is Case No. 8:19-cv-00071-CBD, in the U.S. District Court of Maryland.

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.

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