Plaintiff in Unum Claim Denial Lawsuit Wins Appeal

Many Americans rely on disability insurance to protect them in the event they are catastrophically injured or contract a disease that prevents them from working. They count on the policies to provide benefits to support them. However, many insurance companies have denied legitimate claims in the interest of saving money.

Unum, the biggest disability insurance provider in the U.S., has received a great deal of media attention following allegations that company representatives systematically denied legitimate Unum disability claims and rewarded the employees who denied the most claims.

As a result of these questionable Unum disability claim denials, Unum has been the target of media scrutiny. These unscrupulous corporate strategies were first documented on 60 Minutes in 2002. Since that segment aired, many Unum employees and policyholders have come forward to complain about the company’s unfair claim denial policies. Not only have policyholders been affected by the frequent Unum disability claim denials, but employees who complained about the unfair practices also claim they were subject to workplace retaliation.

Appeals Court Rules in Favor of Plaintiff, Says Unum Communications Were Unclear

In one recent Unum lawsuit, plaintiff Leah Bilyeu had filed a long-term disability claim with Unum through a disability insurance plan offered by her employer. She filed the claim in April 2004 after suffering a combination of medical conditions that prevented her from working. Six months after she filed her claim, she was granted disability benefits.

Bilyeu received Unum disability benefits for two years before they suddenly stopped. Unum pointed to a clause that indicated a two-year cap on long-term disability claims related to mental illness. According to a Unum medical consultant, Bilyeu’s inability to work was mainly due to anxiety and depression. This assessment directly contradicted the view of Bilyeu’s physician, who concluded that her fatigue was caused primarily by physical causes.

In an effort to restore her benefits, Bilyeu filed an Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) disability claim against Unum. Unum promptly filed a counterclaim, seeking a repayment of benefits from Bilyeu and was granted summary judgment by a California district court. On appeal, the Night Circuit Court of Appeals held that Unum could not seek repayment of benefits because the Bilyeu had already spent the money. Unum was not entitled to recover money from her social security payments. The court found that Unum’s communications were misleading and that Bilyeu had acted reasonably under the circumstances.

If You Believe Your Unum Disability Claim Was Wrongfully Denied

If you have been denied a Unum disability claim that you believe you were entitled to receive, you may have grounds to file a Unum lawsuit. To learn more about your legal rights, visit the. Unum/UnumProvident Disability Insurance Claim Denial Class Action Lawsuit Investigation. By taking legal action, you can hold Unum accountable for its unfair business practices. More than 3,000 Unum lawsuits have been filed by policyholders, government agencies and state regulators. Many of these lawsuits have already resulted in settlements of thousands of dollars in compensation. In some cases, plaintiffs have received millions of dollars in compensation for their Unum disability claim denial.