By Heba Elsherif  |  January 29, 2018

Category: Labor & Employment

insurance agentAn ERISA long term disability lawsuit was filed by a woman against the disability insurance giant Unum, alleging that she was wrongly denied long term disability insurance.

Plaintiff Janice L. files her ERISA long term disability lawsuit against Unum in Kentucky federal court. She filed the lawsuit on Jan. 3, 2018.

According to the ERISA long term disability lawsuit, Janice worked a as full time employee and was granted long term disability insurance by Unum through her employer. She was provided long term disability for a time, after which an in-house medical review by the company’s “hired medical reviewer” revoked her claim and her disability insurance payments.

Janice says that Unum “refused to consider all of… [her] medical ailments and combined effect on her body as a whole to terminate benefits.” The action is in alleged violation of Sixth Circuit jurisprudence, the ERISA long term disability insurance lawsuit contends.

Filing a Unum ERISA Long Term Disability Claim

According to the Department of Labor (DOL), ERISA, or the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, “is a federal law that sets the minimum standards for most voluntarily established pension and health plans in private industry to provide protection for individuals in these plans.”

Unum Life Insurance Company of America is a top disability insurance provider in the U.S. and U.K. The company provides both long term and short term disability insurance and covers insurance benefits for more than 33 million people around the world.

The company additionally employs 100,000 people in the U.S.; Unum is one of the largest and most recognized employee benefits companies in the world.

According to Vault.com, in 2015 the company had more than doubled its net income to $867.1 million. Cash flow from operations that year increased to $1.2 billion.

However, there have been several claims against the Fortune 500 insurance disability giant. Some of these accusations against the company include it unreasonably delaying the process of claims, underpayment of insurance benefits, and the unfair denial of long term disability insurance.

Consumers file an ERISA long term disability claim when they have exhausted all remedies in sustaining and preserving their long term disability benefits. Filing an ERISA long term disability lawsuit is often a last resort for these consumers.

A televised feature on 60 Minutes showed former Unum employees and physicians stating that the company would reward adjusters who would deny consumers’ long term or short term disability benefits.

On the episode, employees were shown stating that the company’s goal was to close out claims. Other employees claimed that Unum’s working environment came along with “intense” pressure to deny claims.

Due to the company’s alleged bad faith practices and after the 60 Minutes segment, Unum entered a Regulatory Settlement Agreement in 2004 between the company and 40 other states. The Regulatory Agreement was signed to resolve allegations that the company had mishandled claims for long term disability benefits.

Additionally, in 2005, Unum entered into an agreement with the California Department of Insurance, also due to alleged mishandling of consumer’s long term disability insurance benefits.

The ERISA Long Term Disability Lawsuit is Case No. 3:18-cv-00004-CRS, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky.

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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