A man from Missouri alleges he was wrongfully denied his Unum long term disability benefits in bad faith. He claims this Unum long term disability coverage would have helped the claimant with various medical bills related to his disability, which has prevented him from getting a job in a similar field.

Plaintiff John L., who works for Johnson Controls, says he should have received Unum long term disability benefits after he submitted a claim. According to his Unum claim denial lawsuit, John had become disabled on Sept. 6, 2012, due to degenerative disc disease, arthritis, and a number of other medical conditions.

Overall, John says his medical condition has been deteriorating and has greatly impacted his quality of life. He alleges the severity of the conditions forced him to file a claim for Unum long term disability benefits.

Unum had initially approved John’s Unum long term disability claim under the policy’s definitions of “regular occupation” and “disabled.”

Overview of Unum Claim Denial Lawsuit

John says that even though his disability had forced him to cease working at Johnson Controls, he had entered Missouri Vocational Rehabilitation to try to start training in another occupation.

During this time, Jon says he had been advised by an Unum representative to get work as a student lead or mentor a few hours a week at minimum wage. According to the claim, the Unum representative he spoke with in October 2014 had been characterized as a “motivated individual”. John was additionally continuing to take part time college courses to receive an associate’s degree.

John says he continued to receive Unum long term disability benefits during these years, until he underwent a function capacity evaluation with SERC Physical & Hand Therapy in April 2017. Soon after this assessment, John claims, Unum reportedly terminated John’s long term disability benefits and stated that he could now find “gainful” employment.

According to the cited vocational review in Unum’s initial denial, it was indicated that John could now lift up to 10 pounds, could walk, and make changes in sitting position. Unum had also stated that two physicians reviewed John’s medical information to determine the severity of his disability.

John immediately objected to this decision, which included confirmation that he was awarded Social Security benefits. Unum, however, notified John that it would uphold its initial decision to terminate his long term benefits. Unum’s claim denial spurred John to file an appeal.

During the appeal filing, John says he included all relevant medical records, expert vocational opinion, and other potentially relevant information needed for his Unum long term disability benefits. Despite all of this testimony, John says Unum upheld its decision and sent written notice to John on July 11, 2018.

John says he continues to undergo medical treatment for his disabilities, and will most likely have to continue such processes for some time to come. John is seeking compensation for all missing disability payments, along with any other relevant damages.

Unum is one of the largest disability providers in the country, consisting of millions of policyholders, but the company has gained a negative reputation over the years for allegedly systemically denying claims using bad faith insurance tactics.

This means that numerous policyholders could have been, wrongfully denied coverage when there was no justification to do so. Like John, many of these individuals file bad faith claim denial lawsuits against Unum.

This Unum Claim Denial Lawsuit is Case No. 4:18-00826, in the U.S. District Court of the Western District of Missouri.

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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