In an Unum bad faith lawsuit, a woman alleges her claim for mental health disability coverage was wrongly denied.

The woman claims Unum refuses to pay for long term disability benefits, even though she met all eligibility requirements under the insurance policy.

Plaintiff Lisa H. says she had been previously employed by Williams & Connelly LLP as a Deputy Director of Finance, and was supposed to be provided disability coverage should she ever need it.

This reportedly became the case when she was suddenly unable to work due to anxiety and depression. Her Unum lawsuit states she ceased working on Aug. 15, 2015.

According to the Unum lawsuit, Lisa took leave due to these mental health conditions under the Family Medical Leave Act on Dec. 10, 2015, and remained covered by the insurance plan provided through her employment. Lisa reportedly filed for disability coverage, but was promptly denied by letter dated Jan. 8, 2016.

Lisa quickly filed an appeal, and included additional medical evidence that illustrated the severity of her disability. This reportedly included a statement of disability from her treating psychiatrist and the results of a neuropsychological exam.

However, Unum upheld its denial decision, stating that Lisa had not become disabled until July 2016 and was not disabled prior to that. Unum is, according to her claim, denying Lisa full disability benefit payments, leaving her to file legal action.

Overview of Insurance Claim Denial Problems

Unum

is the largest disability provider in the country with millions of policyholders but has garnered a negative reputation for wrongfully denying claims.

There are a number of common reasons disability benefits claim requests are denied. And while these reasons are often mistakes made by claimants, other times claims may be denied under bad faith circumstances.

Bad faith refers to when an insurance company acts in its own interest in denying disability coverage to claimants, by either refusing to pay or investigating a claim for an unreasonable amount of time. Unum has allegedly been doing this on a systemic level for years, with a report about the practice on a 60 Minutes broadcast in 2002.

According to interviewees on 60 Minutes, claim reviewers and other employees were encouraged to deny claims and were even supposed to meet claim denial quotas each month. Considering that Unum reportedly handles 40 percent of all disability insurance policies and ERISA claims in the United States, this is very troubling.

It is important to note that thousands of Unum lawsuits alleging bad faith insurance practices have been filed by policyholders claiming they were wrongfully denied insurance coverage. Many of these Unum lawsuits are still in progress in courts across the country.

At this point time, Lisa says she has exhausted all administrative options. According to her Unum lawsuit, the insurance provider acted arbitrarily in evaluating Lisa’s psychological health and wrongfully dismissed the professional opinion of her treating psychiatrist.

Lisa is seeking damages for all missing Unum disability payments dating back before July 2016, which can be confirmed by her doctors. Her Unum Bad Faith Lawsuit is Case No. 1:19-cv-00028, in the U.S. District Court of Eastern Tennessee, Chattanooga Division.

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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