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• Prudential has strategies to reduce Long Term Disability claim payments

  August 31, 2010 — The Prudential Insurance Company of America (PRU), one of the world’s largest long term disability insurance companies, recently issued a press release regarding their return to work strategies. In my opinion, when Prudential or any... » Click to continue reading

• MetLife Threatens Lawsuit Against Disability Insurance Attorneys For Copyright Infringement

  August 26, 2010 — The multi billion dollar insurance giant Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (“MetLife”) has threatened to sue long term disability insurance attorney Gregory Michael Dell, for publishing MetLife disability insurance claim forms on his website at www.diattorney.com/metlife.... » Click to continue reading

• ERISA Pre-emption: When does ERISA apply to a short term disability insurance plan?

  August 23, 2010 — A case heard before the U.S. District Court’s Southern District in Texas gives us an opportunity to study ERISA pre-emption. George Monkhouse originally filed his suit against his employer, Stanley Associates Inc. (Stanley) in the... » Click to continue reading

• Lloyd’s of London ordered to pay over 6 million dollars to long term disability claimant

  August 20, 2010 — Certain Underwriters at Lloyd’s London insurance company took almost two years to make a decision regarding a doctor’s disability application for benefits. When he sued, the Court stayed the suit until an arbitration panel could... » Click to continue reading

• Hartford scrutinizes long term disability benefit claim after 13 years of continuous disability payments

  August 19, 2010 — There seems to be a trend recently in which the Hartford disability insurance company is closely scrutinizing long term disability claims regardless of how long a claimant has been on claim. In the past 7... » Click to continue reading

• CNN article discussing disabling chronic pain conditions for women

  August 18, 2010 — (CNN) — The sensation began in Melanie Thernstrom’s neck the same day she went for a long swim. It flowed down through her right shoulder to her hand, as if she had a blistering sunburn... » Click to continue reading

• Liberty Mutual is sued for denial of long term disability benefits to woman suffering with fibromyalgia

  August 12, 2010 — Disability Insurance Attorneys Gregory Michael Dell and Rachel Alters of Dell and Schaefer have filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida against Liberty Life Assurance Company of... » Click to continue reading

• Disability Insurance Compnay Cigna Earns $294 Million in Second Quarter

  August 11, 2010 — Disability Insurance Company Cigna Corp. said Thursday its second-quarter net income fell 32 percent due to a big hit from a discontinued business. However, the Philadelphia insurer lifted its full-year earnings outlook and said enrollment edged... » Click to continue reading

• Missouri District court must reconsider Fort Dearborn Life’s Long Term Disability denial under a de novo standard

  August 10, 2010 — A de novo review gives a disability claimant the ability to have the court review their claim denial without any deference to the disability insurance company’s denial. This case is an example of the extended... » Click to continue reading

• Fort Dearborn denies long term disability benefits to woman with fibromyalgia and CFS

  August 9, 2010 — When Ruth Jobe lost her ERISA disability lawsuit in District Court, she could have decided that there was no hope for recovering the disability benefits she believed Fort Dearborn Life Insurance Company (Fort Dearborn) had... » Click to continue reading

• Liberty Mutual and Wachovia interpret migraine headaches to be psychiatric and not disabling (Part I)

  August 5, 2010 — As an employee of Wachovia, Sharon Creel had participated in her employer’s short-term and long-term disability plan. After she was hospitalized for chest pain and partial paralysis in July 2002, she applied for short-term disability.... » Click to continue reading

• Appellate Court finds Wachovia and Liberty Mutual’s review of objective evidence of disabling migraine headaches was unreasonable (Part II)

  August 5, 2010 — A decision reached in the Eleventh Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals highlights the on-going legal battle that a disability claimant can experience if their claim for long term disability insurance benefits is denied.... » Click to continue reading

• Court agrees with Unum’s denial of long term disability benefits to man suffering with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis (Part II)

  July 27, 2010 — Yet, another case that has appeared in District Court demonstrates the challenge long-term disability attorneys face when representing a client when the Court uses the arbitrary and capricious standard to review the decision of a... » Click to continue reading

• Unum relies on independent medical exam as basis for denying long-term disability benefits (Part I)

  July 27, 2010 — A disability insurance claimant’s medical records and the support of a treating physician are vital to supporting a long-term disability claim. The case of Blackwell v. Unum Insurance Company of America highlights this once again.... » Click to continue reading

• Over $500,000 of disability insurance benefits will be paid to disabled store manager following MetLife’s wrongful denial (Part II)

  July 26, 2010 — As a participant in Sears Long-Term Disability Plan, Frank Blankenship’s problems began when he suffered a heart attack in August 2003. The Plan administrator, Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MetLife) initially approved Blankenship’s application for short-term... » Click to continue reading

• MetLife denies long term disability benefits to sears store manager with heart disease and knee problems (Part I)

  July 26, 2010 — A long term disability insurance ERISA lawsuit filed against MetLife filed in U.S. District Court’s Northern District of Alabama, highlights once again the fact that you cannot depend on a disability plan to do what’s... » Click to continue reading

• Liberty Life Assurance ordered to pay long term disability benefits but not attorney fees

  July 23, 2010 — This case was decided before the United States Supreme Court modified the standards for obtaining attorney fees in ERISA long-term disability lawsuits. To learn more about the criteria for an award of attorney fees visit... » Click to continue reading

• Liberty Mutual’s denial of LTD benefits to woman with back disorder is reversed by Minnesota Court and affirmed by Appellate Court

  July 23, 2010 — Willcox v Liberty Life Assurance Company of Boston is an interesting long term disability insurance case. Theresa Willcox originally brought her disability lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Minnesota. When Liberty Life determined that... » Click to continue reading

• Unum has no right to recover $207,894.88 overpayment of long term disability benefits to attorney

  July 22, 2010 — Receiving disability benefits from a disability plan is no guarantee that the plan won’t take you to court to get back benefit payments it feels it overpaid, a lesson that Wooten Epes learned in April... » Click to continue reading

• Hartford uses video surveillance to deny disability benefits after paying for 10 years

  July 21, 2010 — Hartford is notorious for using video surveillance and probably utilizes it more than any other disability insurance company. A recent decision rendered by the U.S. District court in the Western District of New... » Click to continue reading

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