Judge Dismisses Unum Lawsuit Seeking Insurance Payout

A West Virginia court dismissed a lawsuit filed against Unum Life Insurance Company of America accusing the large insurance company of denying accidental death benefits.

Plaintiff Katie Hall alleged in the Unum lawsuit that she was the primary beneficiary of money that was supposed to be paid due to the accidental death of her husband, Brian Hall, who died in September 2010 in a coal mining accident while working for Patriot Coal. His Unum life insurance plan was held by the coal company.

In November 2010, Unum denied Hall’s claim for the insurance payout that she was supposed to receive. She filed a complaint in Boone Circuit Court in West Virginia. Circuit Judge William S. Thompson oversaw her Unum lawsuit.

According to the Unum lawsuit she filed two appeals with Unum for the denied claims in February and May 2011.

She was suing Unum for the benefits that she believes she should have received according to the terms of the plan and interest on the money. She was also asking for attorney fees, court costs, and other relief.

Hall filed the dismissal order for the Unum lawsuit on October 7, 2011, saying that the issue had been fully dealt with and settled.

Unum has also been sued in the past for allegedly denying legitimate disability claims.

Unum provides employee benefits to 17 million Americans, including disability, life, accident and critical illness insurance, as coverage during times of unexpected illness or injury that may require a prolonged absence from work. It’s the type of insurance that is there to provide peace of mind when the unexpected happens.

In 1999, Unum merged with Provident insurance company, and almost immediately, several lawsuits began to come out against the large insurance company. The company was then sued by several customers that were represented by a group of attorneys claiming that they were unjustly denied disability payments that they should have received in 2002.

For example, Dr. Tedesco was working as a successful eye surgeon in 2005 when he started to develop a tremor in his right hand. As an eye surgeon, this was a very dangerous problem to have, and as a result he stopped operating.

He had been paying for disability insurance policy for 6 years with Unum, which was at the time called UnumProvident, and said that they promised to provide him with a decent income in case he was no longer able to do his job. Initially, everything seemed fine, and he received insurance payments from Unum for 4 months.

Two years later, Dr. Tedesco was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, explaining the tremor in his hand. At that point, his hands were too unsteady to even do routine eye exams. Even then, Unum would not reinstate his claim.

Dr. Tedesco then filed a lawsuit against Unum and was awarded $36 million.

The Unum lawsuit Katie Hall filed is at the Boone Circuit Court case number: 11-C-154.

If you or someone you now were denied disability benefits by Unum insurance, legal options are available. Learn more and get a free legal consultation regarding a claim’s eligibility at the Unum/UnumProvident Disability Insurance Claim Denial Class Action Lawsuit Investigation. Experienced legal professionals are available to determine if you have case, so act now.