What to Expect in a Northwestern Mutual Disability Benefit Denial Lawsuit

You probably feel as if the Appeal review conducted by Northwestern Mutual was a sham and you never had a chance to have your Northwestern Mutual disability benefit denial reversed. Your feeling of being called a liar by Northwestern Mutual and questioning if it is even worth filing a Northwestern Mutual disability lawsuit is exactly Northwestern Mutual’s plan. The sad truth is that the law governing long term disability insurance claims favors disability insurance companies and therefore a high percentage of Northwestern Mutual disability appeal denials are upheld. Northwestern Mutual hopes that you will just go away and that they can strong-arm you to return to work out of financial necessity. The good news is that with a strong legal strategy your Northwestern Mutual disability benefit lawsuit can result in a recovery of your disability benefits.

What Should You Expect In A Northwestern Mutual Disability Lawsuit?

Through our experience of having helped thousands of Northwestern Mutual disability insurance claimants nationwide, we would like the opportunity to help you win your Northwestern Mutual disability benefit lawsuit. In order to help you understand what to expect in a Northwestern Mutual disability lawsuit, Attorneys Gregory Dell and Cesar Gavidia have prepared the Northwestern Mutual disability lawsuit video below. We encourage you to contact any of our disability insurance lawyers for a free immediate review of your Northwestern Mutual disability claim denial.

When Can A Northwestern Mutual Disability Lawsuit Be Filed?

The answer to this question depends on whether you have a claim that is governed by The Employee Retirement Income Security Act, also known as (ERISA). If you have a Northwestern Mutual disability claim that was provided to you as an employee benefit, then your claim is almost always governed by ERISA. An ERISA disability lawsuit cannot be filed against Northwestern Mutual until you have received a denial of the appeal you submitted to Northwestern Mutual. 

An ERISA lawsuit usually must be filed within either 3 years of your date of disability or the date of the final disability denial decision. If Northwestern Mutual fails to make a timely decision on your appeal, you can file suit without having to wait for Northwestern Mutual’s appeal decision. The law governing time periods to file lawsuits is known as the Statute of Limitations and it is an area of law that is regularly changing and not consistent from state to state. In a Non-ERISA disability benefit claim denial an appeal is usually not required by Northwestern Mutual and most lawsuits can be filed 90 days after proof of loss is due but no later than 3 years after the date of denial. The period of time in which a lawsuit must be filed can be a complicated analysis determined by a combination of the policy language and the law of the state in which the person was denied. The best thing to do in many cases to avoid a statutory problem is to file a lawsuit as soon as reasonably possible.

Our Clients Have Recovered Lincoln Disability Benefits in 99% of our Northwestern Mutual Disability Lawsuits

As much as we love to beat up Northwestern Mutual for their wrongful disability claim denials, we know how to set our egos aside. Our goal for every client is to try to resolve their Northwestern Mutual claim in the most expedient and efficient manner possible. Upon review of your disability denial letter from Northwestern Mutual we can immediately let you know if you have a claim that we think we can help you with. We look forward to speaking with you to discuss your options against Northwestern Mutual.

What Are the Most Challenging Issues in a Northwestern Mutual Disability Lawsuit?

The most challenging aspect of any disability lawsuit is the fact that your Northwestern Mutual disability benefit denial is likely governed by ERISA, a pro-insurance company federal law that governs almost all employer-provided disability policies. ERISA was designed so that insurance companies could offer affordable benefits to employees and in return have limited lawsuit expenses if a disability claim is denied. If your disability policy was not provided by your employer, then you will not have to worry about the ERISA lawsuit limitations. In our video below, disability attorneys Stephen Jessup and Gregory Dell discuss the reasons why ERISA makes disability lawsuits against a company like Northwestern Mutual challenging.

Five Reasons ERISA Disability Laws Favor Northwestern Mutual 

1. No jury trials are permitted;
2. No punitive damages;
3. Very limited discovery;
4. The Judge usually must apply a standard of review that defers to the insurance company’s conclusion that you are not disabled;
5. The Judge can remand the case back to Northwestern Mutual for any additional chance to review the claim and deny it again;

How Much Does Our Firm Charge to Handle a Northwestern Mutual Disability Lawsuit?

The proper preparation of a lawsuit against Northwestern Mutual takes a lot of legal time and our law firm is selective in the type and quantity of cases we accept. Providing the highest level of legal work and personal attention to your claim is a fundamental mode of operation for every lawyer in our firm. We are not high volume social security lawyers that are trying to handle disability insurance claims against Northwestern Mutual.

We have been handling claims against Northwestern Mutual for over 30 years. We only handle Northwestern Mutual disability lawsuits on a contingency fee basis. This means that we charge you a percentage of the disability benefits that we recover on your behalf. If we are not successful at recovering any disability benefits for you, then you do not owe us any attorney fees or cost for the work that we have done on your behalf. 

More than 90% of the disability lawsuits that we have handled against Northwestern Mutual have resolved in a one-time lump sum settlement. We encourage you to review some of our Northwestern Mutual resolved case summaries to learn more about our experience. Most of our Northwestern Mutual disability lawsuit settlements have confidentiality provisions which limit our ability to discuss specific details about the cases.

Collecting Northwestern Mutual Disability Benefits Is A Reality

Through our 30+ years of experience suing Northwestern Mutual and our daily work on behalf of Northwestern Mutual disability claimants nationwide, we have seen and we are constantly aware of every claims handling technique used by Northwestern Mutual. We are one of the few law firms in the entire country that has the experience of going through a jury trial and receiving a favorable verdict against Northwestern Mutual. As a result of our years of battling Northwestern Mutual we have established a strong reputation and a unique litigation technique that allows us to cut through the traditional 18 to 24 month delay in resolving a Northwestern Mutual disability lawsuit.

We encourage you to contact any of our disability insurance lawyers to discuss some strategies for a possible resolution of your Northwestern Mutual disability denial. It is incredible and sad how many people we see give up the fight following a claim denial as they don’t want to deal with Northwestern Mutual. Our lawyers make the lawsuit process as simple as possible for claimants by requiring almost no time or effort by the claimant to pursue a Northwestern Mutual lawsuit. Any of our disability lawyers are available for an immediate free phone consultation to discuss your Northwestern Mutual claim denial.

What are the Top 10 Reasons for Northwestern Mutual Disability Denials?

1. Northwestern Mutual denied the claim based on objective medical evidence
2. Northwestern Mutual’s in-house doctor denied the disability claim
3. With no exam a third party medical company denied a Northwestern Mutual claim
4. With functional limitations Northwestern Mutual denied a disability claim because claimant has the ability to perform sedentary occupation
5. After a compulsory medical exam a doctor hired by Northwestern Mutual denied the disability claim
6. Northwestern Mutual denied the claim based on a vocational consultant evaluation of employability in another occupation
7. Northwestern Mutual ignored claimant’s treating doctor’s opinion of limited work restrictions and denied claim
8. Based on video surveillance Northwestern Mutual denied disability claim
9. My definition of disability changed from own occupation to any occupation and Northwestern Mutual denied my disability claim
10. Northwestern Mutual based your denial on a mental disability and not a physical disability and therefore limited your benefits to 24 months