A Georgia plaintiff recently filed a legal action against Unum for unfair denial of a long term disability claim.

Plaintiff Christine T. says she worked for W.C. Bradley Co. as a Lead Customer Order Clerk until she underwent two back surgeries for back pain she had been suffering from. She stopped working on Aug. 27, 2006.

Soon after, Unum found that Christine met the qualifications for disability and granted her long term disability claim from Feb. 23, 2007 to Jan. 2, 2015.

On Jan. 2, 2015, Christine says, Unum denied continued long term disability payments and maintained that she no longer met the definition of a disabled person under the policy.

After her attempt to appeal Unum’s decision, the company upheld its decision, citing the findings of a medical records reviewer, according to Christine’s complaint.

Filing a Long Term Disability Claim

The long term disability claim lawsuit filed by Christine is not a solitary occurrence. In fact, many Unum policyholders have sued Unum over an allegedly improper and unfair denial.

Many of these claimants allege Unum places profit and revenue over patient safety and health by choosing to unfairly deny consumers’ long term disability benefits.

Bad Faith Insurance Practices by Unum

As a Fortune 500 insurance company based in Chattanooga, Tenn., Unum runs four primary operating centers (in Tennessee, Maine, Massachusetts, and South Carolina) and 35 sales offices through the U.S.

Unum has faced thousands of bad faith insurance claims filed by consumers alleging improper denial of a long term disability claim. The company is accused of bad faith insurance practices such as underpayment of insurance benefits, unfounded denial of insurance claims, and unreasonable delays in claim processing.

Questions about Unum’s practices were raised in a 2002 story on the 60 Minutes news program. In that report, former employees alleged that one of the company’s goals was to close out claims. Adjusters were allegedly rewarded if they had denied consumer’s disability benefits.

60 Minutes also spoke to a physician who claimed that he had been fired for refusing to cooperate with the company and deny disability benefits to injured consumers.

Reporters also spoke to a claimant who was a former eye surgeon and had developed Parkinson’s disease. Although three physicians had concluded the doctor was unable to perform surgery due to his condition, Unum allegedly cited a video of the doctor playing football in the backyard as grounds for discounting the surgeon’s disability condition. As it turned out, the man in the video footage was the surgeon’s son.

In describing the environment working for Unum, former employees state that there was “intense” pressure to deny claims. Managers and supervisors of the company were also allegedly responsible for signing off on claim denials.

The Long Term Disability Claim Lawsuit is Case No. 4:17-cv-00223-CDL, in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, Columbus 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.

Learn More