Another bad faith insurance lawsuit has been filed against Unum Life Insurance Company of America, alleging the popular insurer wrongfully denied a plaintiff’s disability benefits and violated federal law.

Plaintiff Tami C. filed this Unum lawsuit on Sept. 4 of this year, claiming Unum wrongfully denied her disability benefits owed to her through employer-provided disability insurance plan.

Tami had been gainfully employed at CDI Corp., located in Ohio, until April 18, 2008, at which time she developed a medical condition that prevented her from working.

According to the Unum lawsuit, Tami “suffers from status post T8-T10 laminectomy with complications, Marie Carcot Foot, Type II diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity.” She is now undergoing continuous treatment with several doctors for her various medical conditions.

Shortly after encountering these physical limitations that made it impossible for her to work, Tami filed for short-term disability benefits with Unum and was approved for a 90-day period between April 19, 2008 and July 17, 2008.

After the short-term disability benefits ended, Tami’s long-term disability benefits and premium waiver benefits kicked in, and she received payments from July 18, 2008 through Nov. 15, 2014.

However, the Unum lawsuit alleges that on Nov. 17, 2014, Tami received her first benefits denial from Unum, which she attempted to appeal.

After submitting her disability insurance benefits denial, Unum allegedly “completed an updated vocational analysis of [Tami’s] occupation [and] determined that [Plaintiff’s] occupation was closest to the DOT definition for Administrative Supervisor. This did not change the fact that [Tami] worked a sedentary occupation.”

Unum Bad Faith Insurance Practices

Afterwards, Unum also performed reviews by a physician and Registered Nurse (RN), both whom did not have a prior history with Tami and had not met with her in person.

According to several Unum lawsuits, this is a common tactic employed by the insurer. By using in-house doctors and medical professionals to review a beneficiary’s case and claim that the policy holder does not have disabilities that prevent them from working, Unum can wrongfully deny qualifying policy holders like Tami their long-term disability insurance benefits.

Over the course of 2015, an RN and physician both employed by Unum reviewed Tami’s case file and concluded that the medical records submitted did not support a disabling impairment that prevented her from working.

In her Unum disability benefits lawsuit, Tami alleges that Unum’s denial of both her long-term disability benefits and premium waivers were completely dependent on the opinions of Unum employed doctors and vocational reviewers.

She is seeking “an award of disability benefits, including disability income benefits and waiver of premium for life insurance benefits,” as well as “to enforce the right to future benefits and demand that Defendants account for past benefits and pay future benefits.”

Tami is not the only individual to allege they had their disability insurance benefits wrongfully denied by Unum through bad faith insurance practices.

If you or someone you know believe your ERISA rights where wrongfully denied by Unum, you should consider speaking with an insurance denial lawyer. Only they can determine if you have grounds to file an Unum lawsuit.

The Unum Claim Denial Lawsuit is Case No. 3:15-cv-00307-WHR, in the U.S. District for the Southern District of Ohio.

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