A recent lawsuit against Unum has been filed by a retired doctor alleging his long-term disability benefits were wrongfully denied. This lawsuit against Unum alleges the disability insurance giant acted in bad faith, ignoring relevant medical evidence when evaluating his claim.

Colorado plaintiff Dr. David L. was fully employed as a medical professional for years and was supposed to be provided disability coverage by Unum if ever needed. Before filing his disability insurance benefits, David had paid all insurance premiums and other payments to ensure his policy was active and ready in case he became disabled.

Overview of Lawsuit against Unum

David had first filed for disability coverage on Jan. 30, 2013, explaining his medical condition while submitting all relevant testimony. Unum initially approved his claims for disability benefits and paid for coverage from March 4, 2013 through March 4, 2015 under David’s mental disorder limitation.

David had met eligibility requirements for this policy after proving that he had exhibited symptoms of psychotic, emotional, and other behavioral disorders. After this disability coverage period was over, David requested that his benefits continue to cover treatment for his physical conditions.

David sent a letter dated Jan. 9, 2015, stating his mental health conditions were resolved but that he needed coverage for his physical disabilities. Unum had agreed to pay for these additional benefits for an additional six months, based on David’s estimation on when he would be able to return to work.

However, after David’s physical conditions reportedly did not improve, he requested that Unum review his claim to determine if he was still eligible for disability coverage.

Unum eventually agreed to continue paying benefits from Oct. 26, 2015, through Sept. 26, 2016, under the condition that the disability giant could review his claim at any time to evaluate whether or not he truly met disability coverage eligibility requirements.

However, these payments reportedly never came as David continued to undergo medical treatment for his physical impairments. Unum continued to allegedly stall David on their evaluation of his claims but eventually terminated his disability benefits on Oct. 7, 2016, stating there was no evidence to suggest he was disabled from a physical condition.

David filed this lawsuit against Unum soon after exhausting all administrative options and finding that the company was not responding to his requests or medical testimony from his physicians.

The lawsuit against Unum states the disability insurance giant had received a request for disability claim evaluation from David, but the insurance company allegedly stalled him for the next few months while he underwent further treatment.

David alleges that part of Unum’s decision to terminate his benefits was based on a neurological exam conducted by a psychologist paid for by Unum.

David claims Unum had denied his disability benefits based on little to no scientific evidence and that the disability company did not process his claim through a fair evaluation.

David is filing this lawsuit against Unum seeking compensation for all missing disability payments and any additional interest.

This Unum Disbility Denial Lawsuit is Case No. 1:17-cv-02416-MEH, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado.