California Court Rules That Hartford Acted Unreasonably and Reverses Disability Denial
Disability Attorney Rachel Alters discusses a recent ruling by a California District Court in a lawsuit filed against Hartford. The claimant suffered from Sjögren’s Syndrome. (Note: Attorneys Dell & Schaefer did not represent the claimant in this lawsuit.) The Court ultimately ruled in favor of the claimant, finding that Hartford’s review of the claim was substandard and not acceptable.
Among other errors, Hartford failed to have the claimant examined by a medical specialist, opting instead to have only her paper medical records reviewed. Hartford’s consulting physicians who reviewed the records determined the claimant was not disabled but did not offer explanation as to why their opinions differed from the contrary opinions of the claimant’s own treating physicians.
The Court awarded the claimant 24 months of benefits which she was entitled under the “own occupation” definition of disability, remanded the claim back to Hartford to review eligibility for benefits under the “any occupation” definition of disability, and awarded the claimant attorney’s fees and costs – a substantial victory for this claimant, and for future claimants going up against Hartford. If your claim for disability benefits has been denied by Hartford, or any other disability insurance company, please feel free to contact any of our disability attorneys for a free consultation to discuss your disability insurance claim.
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