Short & Long Term Disability Lawsuit Cases We’ve Won for Our Clients
Fields Law Firm successfully recovers millions of dollars each year for our disabled clients throughout the United States. Our Long Term Disability litigation experience is matched by very few other law firms in the country and has earned us a national reputation.
Here are just a few examples of our Long Term Disability lawsuit case wins.
Randal – Home Appliance Inspector and Installer – Klamath Falls, Oregon
Back Pain, Degenerative Disc Disease, Neuropathy
A home appliance inspector and installer from Oregon was reaching while on a ladder at work. He felt a sharp burning sensation in his lower back. His work had exacerbated symptoms from multiple prior back surgeries and he could no longer work. His insurer approved Long Term Disability benefits and paid him monthly benefits for five years. Then the insurer suddenly canceled benefits, saying that they surveilled him and saw a few minutes of activity that showed he could work.
Worried about his lost income he called Fields Law for help. Our team gathered almost 4000 pages of medical records and asked doctors for updated reports to support our client. The Fields Law attorneys examined the evidence and sent a strong appeal to the insurer. Unfortunately, the insurance company did not change their decision. Our attorneys filed a lawsuit in federal court. During a conference with the judge, our attorneys presented a comprehensive summary of more than seven years of medical records and negotiated a generous lump-sum settlement to close the claim. Our client was relieved to be done fighting his insurance company and is happy to use the settlement funds to continue treatment.
Heather – Home Health Care Branch Manager – Moore, Oklahoma
Fibromyalgia, Lupus, Arthritis
A health care manager from Oklahoma suffered from lupus and fibromyalgia. Her conditions caused swelling in her joints, regular back spasms, and severe chronic pain. She was forced to stop working, so she applied for Long Term Disability benefits through her employer-sponsored insurance plan. The insurer denied her application because her symptoms exceeded the severity of her condition.
Stunned by the insurer’s decision, she contacted Fields Law for help. Our attorneys drafted a strong appeal to the insurance company that highlighted the severity of our new client’s condition and that the insurer’s denial of benefits was arbitrary and capricious. The insurer did not change its mind and our attorneys filed a lawsuit in federal court to fight for our client’s benefits. During preparations for a hearing, the Fields Law attorneys negotiated a generous settlement for our client. Our client gladly accepted the settlement and was pleased with the hard work by the Fields Law team.
Mark – Program Manager – Norman , Oklahoma
Degenerative Joint Disease, Chronic Pain, Depression, Anxiety
A program manager stopped working at a major University as an administrator due to diagnosed disabilities of degenerative joint disease, chronic pain, depression, and anxiety. Due to his disabilities and an inability to work, he applied for Short Term Disability benefits. The insurer approved the Short Term benefits and paid benefits until they were exhausted. He was then transitioned to Long Term Disability benefits with the insurance company and received them until they were terminated after two years under the Own Occupation definition of disability. The insurance carrier relied on two document reviews and an occupational report to determine that he no longer qualified for disability benefits.
He was upset with the insurance carrier’s termination of Long Term Disability benefits and contacted the attorneys at Fields Law. Our attorneys acquired medical records, functional capacity evaluations, and reports from our client’s treating doctors and submitted an appeal. The insurer, in response to the appeal, issued a decision and determined to uphold their prior determination to terminate our client’s Long Term Disability benefits. Neither our client nor the attorneys at Fields Law agreed with the insurer’s response and filed a second appeal. This appeal, unfortunately, was unsuccessful as well.
Not satisfied with the reasoning the insurance company used to terminate our client’s Long Term benefits, the attorneys at Fields Law filed a lawsuit in federal court to fight for our client’s benefits. Only a couple of weeks after filing the lawsuit, the attorneys at Fields Law were contacted by the attorney for the insurance company to settle quickly. The parties agreed they wanted to have a mediation, and after some persuasive negotiations on the part of the attorneys at Fields Law during the mediation, the case was resolved, and our client received a sizable settlement check.
