A Unum disability insurance denial lawsuit has been filed against Unum Life Insurance Company of America by a Missouri woman claiming the company wrongfully denied her long-term disability benefits, despite allegedly being permanently and totally disabled.

Plaintiff Susan S. filed this Unum lawsuit on Dec. 10, claiming she was wrongly denied disability insurance by Unum, despite having been insured under a Unum group policy by her former employer.

According to the Unum disability insurance denial lawsuit, “You are disabled when Unum Determines that: you are limited from performing the material and substantial duties of your regular occupation due to sickness or injury: and you have a 20% or more loss in your indexed monthly earnings due to the same sickness or injury.” Based on Susan’s allegations, she has met all the requirements to be considered disabled per Unum’s group policy definition.

On Sept. 24, 2012, Susan allegedly stopped working because of a painful case of endometriosis, chronic pelvic pain, and drug side effects. Because of her alleged disability, she could not work and thus suffered a loss of earnings greater than 20 percent since September 2012. The plaintiff additionally claims that per the terms of the policy, she supplied Unum with the necessary paperwork and medical evidence to support her disability claim and her inability to work since Sept. 24.

At first, Unum did pay Susan her disability benefits starting in April 27, 2013, through June 26, 2013, the rate of $8,699 per month. However, since June, Unum has not paid Susan the disability insurance due to her, totaling more than $147,000.

When Unum informed the plaintiff of its decision to discontinue and deny the long-term disability plan, Susan immediately appealed the decision, which was subsequently denied by the company.

Unum allegedly based its decision to deny Susan’s disability claim based on the opinion of a gynecologist hired by Unum to review Susan’s case, despite having no previous knowledge or familiarity with her case.

In this disability insurance denial lawsuit, Susan is seeking that Unum reinstate her long-term disability benefits, pay previously denied benefits and interest, as well as attorney and court costs.

The Unum Disability Insurance Denial Lawsuit is Case No. 4:14-cv-02026-AGF, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.

Susan and many other consumers claim they have met Unum’s long-term disability requirements and have completed their responsibilities as disability insurance policy holders, and yet have still been wrongfully denied their disability benefits by Unum. According to other Unum lawsuits, the insurance company has allegedly made a practice of using hired medical consultants to make unfounded reports on capabilities and diagnostic conditions of policy holders like Susan in order to wrongfully deny disability insurance claims.