An Unum disability claim was initially paid to an injured worker until the company stopped his benefits illegally, according to a new lawsuit.

Plaintiff Titus L. has initiated a lawsuit  after his Unum disability claim was denied due to contentions between him and the insurance company over whether or not he meets the grounds for qualifying as disabled and entitled to benefits.

As he explains in the Unum disability insurance claim lawsuit, Titus was covered under a group disability policy number prior to making his official claim. He alleges he reasonably believed that he would be eligible to tap into the benefits of that plan if he met the definition of disabled.

According to the lawsuit, participants covered by an Unum disability insurance plan are eligible for a waiver of premiums for life insurance coverage and continuation of life insurance coverage so long as they meet the definition of disabled.

In April 2015, the plaintiff says he first investigated his options to file an Unum disability claim because of his determination that he met the definition of disabled and believed that he would be entitled to benefits. The initial Unum disability claim benefits were approved and were paid through Dec. 22, 2017, he says.

The Unum disability claim benefits, according to the lawsuit, were canceled by Unum life insurance company on Dec. 29, 2017, which led the plaintiff to file an appeal. The plaintiff says his appeal was denied on July 31, 2018, at which point he says he filed additional medical reports and evidence.

Again, the Unum life insurance company denied his claim on Sept. 4, 2018. As explained in the lawsuit, the plaintiff gave Unum substantial medical evidence demonstrating that he was eligible to continue to receive disability benefits. Some of this medical evidence included reports from respiratory and pulmonology specialists.

One of those respiratory specialists felt that he needed a second pulmonary opinion. The doctor providing that second opinion determined that there were several contributing factors to the plaintiff’s underlying claims of a cough, including GERD. That pulmonary specialist determined that asthma was not the primary diagnosis causing the current symptoms for the patient.

The Unum disability claim lawsuit says that the insurance company failed to have the plaintiff examined independently and instead relied on the opinion of a medical professional who looked at the medical records and rejected the plaintiff’s treating physician’s opinion. The Unum disability claim lawsuit says that the insurance company relied on the opinion of the medical professional who was financially biased to make a decision in favor of the insurance company.

In many cases, an injured employee is counting on the benefits under an individual or group disability policy to help with financial compensation while they are disabled and unable to work.

The denial or loss of continued benefits under an Unum disability claim can present significant challenges for a person who has no other financial resources yet still meets the terms of the disability policy.

The Unum Disability Llaim Lawsuit is Case No. 0:18-cv-02807-JRT-KMM, filed in the United States District Court District of Minnesota.

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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