A bad faith insurance denial lawsuit was filed against Unum Life Insurance Company by a Tennessee woman who alleges the company wrongfully denied her long-term disability benefits.

Plaintiff Lydia Venice Kimbro had been  employed by BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee as a full-time employee and had long-term disability benefits. Shortly before becoming disabled, Kimbro had been suffering from painful symptoms that had been preventing her from operating in her position, leading her to apply for long-term disability benefits on Feb. 6, 2013, according to her Unum lawsuit.

Unum ultimately denied Kimbro, stating that she had no need for the benefits as of yet. However, after Kimbro officially became disabled as defined by Unum’s long-term disability plan, she applied for disability benefits again, resubmitting all of her physician’s medical testimony and all other relevant documentation, the Unum lawsuit said. She was again denied.

Unum sent the denial letter to the plaintiff, stating that its decision to deny her benefits  would not be subject to further review. According to the Unum lawsuit, Unum’s denial letter failed to reference her physician’s medical testimony and had dismissed medical evidence that supported her claim.

At this point, Kimbro has exhausted all administrative remedies, leading to this Unum claim denial lawsuit. She is seeking to be reimbursed for all missed payments plus interest. The disability insurance lawsuit accuses Unum of concealing information and practicing bad faith insurance.

The Unum Claim Denial Lawsuit is Lydia Venice Kimbro v. Unum Life Insurance Company, Case No. 1:14-cv-23971-JEM, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

Overview of Unum Claim Denial

Unum is the largest disability insurance provider in the United States, and has extended its empire across the world. According to legal experts, approximately 40 percent of all America disability insurance policies are provided by Unum, covering more than 17 million Americans.

Despite the company’s status, Unum has been accused of practicing bad faith insurance methods for years resulting in valid claims being denied. Thousands of wrongful claim denial lawsuits filed against Unum are pending in courts across the United States, alleging that Unum improperly denied disability claims.

Over the years, several Unum employees have come forward, describing the alleged system Unum has in place to systematically deny claims. Alleged Unum claim denial tactics include:

• Changing policies after claims are filed (and without the authorization or knowledge of policy holders)
• Improperly investigating the claim and obtaining opinions from unqualified supposed experts
• Misreading medical records, often by their independent medical examiners
• Demanding repeated requests for independent medical examinations or denying a claim without any medical examination
• Refusing to acknowledge a disability, especially mental disorders, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue syndrome
• Arguing that the claim is a pre-existing condition
• Denying a claim with the intent to wear the claimant down to a lower settlement
• Partially paying a claim for total disability
• Use of detectives, friends, co-workers and neighbors in an attempt to discredit the disability