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Unum Denies Benefits to Michigan Woman with Fibromyalgia
By Courtney Coren
A Michigan woman has filed a disability insurance coverage lawsuit against Unum Life Insurance Company of America for wrongfully denying her benefits after she became too ill to work.
Mary Mora suffers from several debilitating physical conditions, including a failed cervical disc fusion, fibromyalgia, and a rotator cuff tear. As a result, Mora is no longer able to work.
She decided to take advantage of the long-term disability coverage she received through her employer, which is supposed to be for situations exactly like the one Mora found herself in — where she is no longer able to work due to injury, disease or another medical condition.
However, when the Michigan woman applied for her benefits, Unum denied her claim.
The Unum lawsuit says that Unum’s denial of benefits amounts to a breach of the contract Unum had with Mora.
“Defendant’s denial of benefits was arbitrary and capricious and was contrary to medical and other evidence that overwhelmingly supports Plaintiff’s claim of total and permanent disability,” the Unum lawsuit states.
Mora has tried to appeal the Unum claim denial several times and has used up all available avenues to acquire her Unum insurance benefits that Unum provides, yet the major insurance provider still refuses to pay her the benefits that she believes that she deserves.
The situation has left Mora with no other choice than to file this lawsuit against the insurance giant. She is asking that Unum resume the payments of her benefits as well as the premiums she paid to Unum.
This Civil Action should allow her “to recover benefits due to [her] under the terms of the plan, to enforce her rights under the terms of the plan, or to clarify her rights to future benefits under the terms of the plan,” the lawsuit states.
She is also asking that Unum pay for loss of wages for past, present and future income as compensation as well as other costs, interest, and attorney fees.
Mora’s lawsuit is not the first of its kind against the insurance provider.
Unum is a large insurance company that 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.
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.
A Unum lawsuit was recently filed by a man from Washington State who also has fibromyalgia after his claim was also denied by Unum.
Courts have awarded disability benefits to fibromyalgia patients in the past, as well as a case against Unum in 1999.
If you or someone you now has insurance benefits run out prior to when they should have as a customer of Unum Life Insurance Co. of America, 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.
All employment related class action and lawsuit news updates are listed in the Employment and Labor section of Top Class Actions
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