Attorney Cesar Gavidia

Cesar Gavidia is a Partner at Dell Disability Lawyers. Throughout his career, Cesar has helped thousands of disability claimants to recover tens of millions of dollars in long term disability benefits.

Cesar focuses his legal practice in representing claimants at all stages of a claim for individual or group (ERISA) long-term disability benefits including applications, appeals, litigation, ERISA exempt disability claims and lump-sum policy buyouts. He has assisted disabled claimants in nearly every state in the country and in all occupations including teachers, surgeons, dentists, chiropractors, lawyers, judges, corporate executives, software engineers, and even disability insurance claim representatives.

Cesar has litigated disability lawsuits against every major disability insurance company and has gained unparalleld  knowledge about their internal claims handling processes through extensive litigation. There are very few lawyers in the country that have as much disability insurance claim handling and litigation experience as Cesar.

Cesar’s interest in disability insurance law began in law school, which is where he was first introduced to the complex federal law ERISA, which governs most claims arising from employer sponsored long-term disability insurance plans. Cesar began working as a law clerk with Dell Disability Lawyers in 2003. Upon law school graduation Cesar has focused his entire legal career on obtaining disability insurance benefits for his clients.

Cesar earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Florida State University and a law degree from St. Thomas University School of Law. Cesar is admitted in the State Bars of Florida and California as well as multiple federal district courts throughout the nation.

Cesar represents claimants throughout the nation and has established a reputation for being an aggressive advocate for his clients.

Professional Experience

  • Partner at Dell Disability Lawyers
  • Founding member of the firm’s disability income division

Education

Bar and Court Admissions

  • Florida (2005)
  • California (2005)
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida
  • U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of Indiana
  • U.S. District Court, District of Nebraska
  • U.S. District Court, Western District of Missouri
  • U.S. District Court, District of Colorado

Representative Experience

  • Over 18 Years of Experience handling complex litigation involving breaches of individual disability insurance policies, securing favorable outcomes for clients.
  • Seasoned Negotiator with extensive expertise in high-stakes disability insurance negotiations, achieving optimal results for claimants.
  • Specialist in Disability Claim Buyouts, successfully negotiating favorable settlements for long-term disability policyholders.
  • Expert Advocate assisting professionals with successfully applying for and navigating the complexities of disability insurance claims.
  • Proven Track Record representing claimants in administrative appeals, achieving reversals of adverse benefit decisions against the nation’s largest disability insurance companies.
  • Affiliations
  • American Bar Association Health and Disability Law Division

Career Highlights

  • Recovered Tens of Millions of Dollars in disability insurance benefits for claimants, delivering impactful results for clients nationwide.
  • Founding Partner and integral member of the original team that established Dell Disability Lawyers as a leader in the field of disability insurance law.
  • Trial Team Member in landmark cases against major insurers, including a successful litigation victory over The Paul Revere Life Insurance Company (now known as Unum Life Insurance Company).

Publications

  • Contributor to the Westlaw Florida Insurance Law Legal Treatise authored in part by Gregory Dell and publicized by Thompson Reuters, the nation’s largest legal publication company.  
Attorney Cesar Gavidia

Get to Know Attorney Cesar Gavidia

Cesar's Client Reviews
(43)

Cesar's Resolved Cases
(55)
Showing 8 of 55 Disability Cases

Reliance Standard Denies LTD Benefits 4 times in 24 Months for 64 Year Old Insurance Agent with Peripheral Neuropathy

This case is crazy because Reliance Standard denied long term disability benefits four times in a 24 month period and forced the claimant to file four separate appeals. Our client was an insurance agent for Florida Farm Bureau Insurance Companies. In 2017 and 2018 he was forced to reduce his work hours due to pain and complications caused by peripheral neuropat...

Seven Surgeries and The Standard Still Denies Disability Insurance Benefits

Our client was employed with the State of Oregon as a Technical Support Representative. She sought disability through her employer provider LTD Policy with Standard due to low back, hip, and lower extremity pain. She had two hip, two knee and three back surgeries.After paying her for 1.5 years Standard hired a board-certified neurologist to perform a review ...

Nurse Denied Long-term Disability Benefits by Lincoln After the Definition of Disability Changed

Our client, a registered nurse for Dignity Health, found herself in a difficult situation after being diagnosed with lumbar spondylosis and left knee arthritis. She continued to work, however, struggled while attempting to work through chronic lower back pain and left lower extremity radicular symptoms on a daily basis. Sadly, her condition failed to improve and...

Louisiana State College Director Wins Unum LTD Appeal But Then Denied Again

Client was Regional Director for the State of Louisiana. She was diagnosed with cervical radiculopathy, spondylosis, lumbar spondylosis and bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome. In 2020 she underwent an anterior cervical discectomy and fusion. Unfortunately the surgery did very little to resolve her neck pain, radiculopathy and discomfort.She was a Regional Di...

Illinois Mutual terminates benefits for Tire Kingdom Service Manager After Review By Hired Physician

Our client was a service manager for Tire Kingdom, due to years of working on his feet he developed chronic back pain and shooting pain down his legs. Also, he had begun experiencing worsening memory and post-concussion headaches and orientation problems likely from some earlier head injury. Due to these surmounting problems, he was forced to stop work...

JP Morgan Chase Financial Advisor With Cancer Wins Prudential Long Term Disability Appeal

Our client was a 58 year old private client advisor for JP Morgan Chase Bank. He was forced to stop working due to squamos cell carcinoma of the mandibular jaw. He underwent numerous operations on his jaw including reconstruction, tracheostomy and postoperative radiation therapy. Apart from chronic pain suffers dysphagia and is limited in terms of...

Project Manager with Migraines Gets NY Life Disability Benefit Denial Reversed

Disability due to migraines is very common, but many disability insurance claims deny these long term disability claims because there is no objective evidence of migraines. New York Life will commonly try to limit disability benefits to 24 months and claim that your medical condition is mental and not physical.We were able to stop that from happening in this...

Liberty Mutual Overturns Denial of Disability Benefits Following Submission of an ERISA Appeal

Liberty Mutual Initially Approves Disability Claim After Finding Total Disability From Own OccupationOur client, John, was working as a Chemical Supervisor for Arkema, Inc., a French specialty chemicals and advanced materials company, when in 2015 he was forced to stop working due to chronic pain in his cervical and lumbar spine relating to degenerative disk disease and post laminectomy syndrome.John f...
Cesar's Answered Questions
(57)
Showing 8 of 57 Answered Questions

Q: Am I required to sign over permission for the insurance company to view my records?

Answered on January 13th 2026 by Attorney Cesar Gavidia
A: This can be a challenging situation. Generally, if your mental health is part of your disability claim then yo...

Q: LTD Denial United Healthcare - Hartford

Answered on September 5th 2025 by Attorney Cesar Gavidia
A: This is a complex issue and you should have your policy and denial letters reviewed by a disability insurance ...

Q: Does it matter if I received social security retirement payments before the disability claim started?

Answered on September 5th 2025 by Attorney Cesar Gavidia
A: Typically, Hartford offsets Social Security retirement benefits only if you began receiving them after the sta...

Q: Backpay obligations

Answered on June 27th 2025 by Attorney Cesar Gavidia
A: The disability insurer should release your benefits immediately once it has been determined that you are eligi...

Q: Backpay of Approved SSDI

Answered on June 27th 2025 by Attorney Cesar Gavidia
A: You can request a detailed explanation and breakdown of their overpayment calculation. Provide Hartford with y...

Q: Overpayment from Boston Mutual

Answered on June 26th 2025 by Attorney Cesar Gavidia
A: If you were overpaid benefits in error then you are not entitled to keep the money and are required to return ...

Q: Can I win LTD benefits after a layoff?

Answered on September 24th 2024 by Attorney Cesar Gavidia
A: The simple answer is, yes, a layoff can affect your ability to collect LTD benefits because it will likely aff...

Q: Can the Hartford reduce my long term disability payment due to a rental income?

Answered on January 25th 2024 by Attorney Cesar Gavidia
A: Usually non-work that is not described a deductible source of income the disability policy would not reduce th...
Cesar's Disability Videos
(224)
Showing 12 of 224 Videos
Cesar's Disability Benefit Tips
(36)
Showing 8 of 36 Benefit Tips

How To Get Long Term Disability Benefits Approved Due To Neck Pain

If you have a disability claim that involves neck pain, you might be wondering exactly how much neck pain does it take to get a long-term disability insurance claim approved? Despite what a disability insurance companies may lead you to believe, there is no machine or tool that allows you prove how much neck pain you have. So what evidence do you need to prove ...

How do I prepare for an IME Exam requested by Disability Insurance Company?

Every day we get calls about claimants that have been requested to attend a medical exam requested by a disability insurance company. In this video disability insurance lawyers Gregory Dell and Cesar Gavidia discuss how to prepare for an IME exam and what to expect. Every IME exam is different based on a claimant's medical condition and definition of disability ...

I have both an individual disability insurance policy, which I purchased on my own, and a group disability insurance policy through my employer. Will I be able to recover benefits from both insurance policies if I become disabled?

Answer: It depends, but most likely yes.The group disability policy provided by your employer will most likely offset other income benefits you receive such as:social security disability;worker's compensation;and other group disability insurance, such as a group you may have through an association or other group insurance provider.However, individual disability benefits from your individual disabil...

Can my disability insurer offset pension or retirement benefits that I'm drawing from a previous employer?

It is common for group disability insurance policies to contain provisions “offsetting” or reducing the monthly disability benefit by other income benefits being received by the insured, such as social security disability, workers compensation benefits and state disability benefits. Also, these same “offset” provisions often reduce the monthly disability benefit by pension or retirement benefits drawn ...

Neck Pain and Long Term Disability Insurance Claim Help

Neck pain is unfortunately a very common occurrence for people at some point in their life. When neck pain becomes chronic it makes it extremely difficult for a person to commit to a regular work schedule. In this video, nationwide disability insurance attorneys Cesar Gavidia and Gregory Dell discuss their experience in helping long term disability insurance cla...

What Should a Claimant Expect When Suing Cigna or any Other Disability Company for Long Term Disability Benefits?

ERISA disability lawsuits are complicated due to the pro-insurance company laws. Our disability attorneys have handled thousands of ERISA disability lawsuits and Cigna is one of the companies that we sue on a routine basis. In this video, attorneys Cesar Gavidia and Gregory Dell discuss the fundamentals of a disability lawsuit against Cigna. If you have a potent...

When is the Best Time to Submit a Claim for either STD or LTD insurance benefits?

The answer to this question depends on numerous factors such as disability policy language, medical support and treating physician medical documentation. In this video, disability insurance attorneys Gregory Dell and Cesar Gavidia discuss some of the common issues encountered when selecting a date of disability. The date of disability determination is most chall...

The Long-term Disability Medical Consultant review. What is it? What can be expected?

You’ve arrived home from your doctor visit and you check the mail and find that you have a letter from your long-term disability insurance company. The letter explains that the long-term disability carrier is in the process of conducting a medical consultant review of your claim. Your benefits have not been interrupted; however, the disability insurance carrier has reached out to your treating physicians to ...
Cesar's Disability Lawsuit Stories
(194)
Showing 8 of 194 Lawsuit Stories

Unum Wrongfully Terminated Disabled Lawyer’s Disability Claim of Depression and Anxiety Despite Improvement in His Condition

This Unum lawsuit and appeal in federal court is a great victory for all Unum disability claimants. This case supports all claimants that are disabled and claim that they cannot return to work as the requirements of their job will aggravate their symptoms and make them unable to work.Mark was a personal injury litigation attorney, when he began struggling with symptoms of...

SunLife Released From Any Lawsuits Due To Claimant Giving Up Right To Sue In Severance Agreement

The signing of a severance package when leaving a job is not uncommon, but you may be signing away your right to pursue either a short or long term disability insurance claim. A recent lawsuit decision from the Federal Court in New York is a sad result for a SunLife policy holder that waived her right to challenge a SunLife disability benefit denial. This claim ...

California Federal Court Overturns MetLife’s Denial of Disability Benefits

Application for Long-term Disability Under Kaiser Health PlanRenee Monroe worked as a Human Resources Compliance Specialist for Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. (“Kaiser”). Beginning in 2013 Ms. Monroe began experiencing significant low back pain and was taking off of work by her physicians. An MRI of her lower back indicated diffuse disk bulges at the L5-S1 vertebral disc. Ms. M...

Court Finds Prudential Abused its Discretion in Denying LTD Benefits

In James Ampe v. The Prudential Insurance Company of America, et al., Plaintiff Ampe worked for several years for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as a senior development and test engineer. In August 2011, Ampe slipped and fell in his bathroom, hitting his head.He noticed some cognitive decline over the next few months and took intermittent FMLA leave. Meanwhile, his performance re...

Court Denied American General's Motion for Partial Summary Judgment

In Kelly Ann Tyler v. United States Life Insurance Company in the City of New York, et al., United States Life Insurance and American General Life Insurance company (together, “American General”), terminated Plaintiffs total disability benefits. Instead of filing a second administrative appeal, Plaintiff filed this ERISA lawsuit alleging, among other things, American General breached the disabili...

Court Orders Principal Life to Pay Long-Term Disability Benefits to Plaintiff

In Craig Robertson v. Principal Life Insurance Company, Plaintiff, a National Account Sales Manager with XPO Logistics in Phoenix, Arizona, became disabled in July 2016 after severely injuring his left foot. His request for short-term disability benefits was granted. In October 2016 he filed a claim for long-term disability (LTD) benefits, but in November 2017, that claim was denied.Plaintiff arg...

Court Rules Against Unum Holding Plaintiff's Plan is Exempt from ERISA Coverage

In Paula Le v. Unum Insurance Company of America, plaintiff was severely injured in an automobile accident and was unable to return to her job. She was covered by an employee welfare benefit plan (the plan) through her employer, Opelousas General Health System (OGHS). She was awarded long-term disability benefits beginning in September 2013.In January 2017, Unum informed her it was terminating her benefits...

California Federal Court Orders Metropolitan Life Insurance Company to reinstate benefits to disabled analyst

Prior to disability, David Do was employed as an Analyst-Desktop services for IVZ, Inc. He was responsible to resolving and handling “all support calls relating to desktop software/hardware installation and maintenance.”Mr. Do was insured under an employer sponsored long-term disability plan administered and funded by Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. In February 2013, Mr. Do injured his neck, back ...
Fun Facts About Cesar

We are not your typical law firm. We are always thinking outside of the box so that we can keep our clients a step ahead of the insurance companies. Customer service with our clients is an essential element as we want every case handled as if it was our own. Since the lawyer that you work with at our firm will need to know a lot about your life, we think it is important that you have the opportunity to learn more about the lawyer(s) working on your case. Here are some interesting and fun facts about Cesar Gavidia:

  • Describe myself in three words: Ambitious, determined, gregarious.
  • Best Thing To Do On Free Time: I enjoy boating, fishing and spending time with family and friends
  • Hobbies: Boating, Snowboarding/Skiing, Wakeboarding
  • Favorite Food: Ceviche or a good hamburger
  • Favorite Place to Travel: I love traveling to Breckenridge and really anywhere in the Rockies. The landscape is breathtaking. I also love traveling to the Bahamas and Virgin Islands.
  • Favorite TV Show: Game of Thrones and Dexter
  • Favorite Book: Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
  • Favorite Musician: Jimmy Buffett; Social Distortion; Bob Marley
  • Favorite Quote: We are what we repeatedly do; excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” – Aristotle
  • What do I like about my job: Often, when people contact us they have been sparring alone with the insurance company, they are beaten up, weathered and don’t know where else to turn. I enjoy the ability to then counsel these people, instill in them renewed confidence and provide them with that second wind that they need to recover what is rightfully theirs. To know that I have helped someone turn a situation which at some point looked grim, into something positive is the most rewarding aspect of my job.

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