Severely Ill Woman's LTD Benefits Canceled Early Due to Erroneous Surveillance

A woman in Gastonia, North Carolina lives with several comorbid conditions that leave her bedridden and frail. Liberty decided to terminate her long-term disability (LTD) insurance benefits early after it surveilled the wrong person, who seemed relatively healthy. Dabdoub Law Firm was called upon to challenge their erroneous handling of her claim and set things right.

Details of the Incorrect Surveillance Case

Our client filed for LTD benefits with Liberty in March 2017 after she could no longer continue any sort of employment due to various, severe comorbid conditions. Her doctors have diagnosed her with lupus, liver disease, chronic back pain, depression, chronic diarrhea and nausea, walking difficulties, and more. She is hardly able to leave her bed and bathroom most days due to the extent of her conditions. One of her treating physicians even described her as looking “chronically ill and much older than [her] stated age.” Her health issues worsened further in January 2020 after an extended hospitalization and cardiac failure diagnosis.

Trying to find and hold a job in any field is impossible for her, as it should be clear to conclude. However, Liberty was apparently suspicious of the authenticity of her illnesses and disabilities, so they arranged for her to be surveilled. The footage they were able to collect through surveillance showed our client on one day and an entirely different woman on another. Bizarrely, the insurance company decided that both women were our client, despite glaringly obvious differences between them.

Using their erroneous surveillance footage, Liberty decided it would be justified in ending our client’s LTD benefits when their policy for mental health disabilities ended. Even if the footage was accurate – which it absolutely was not – an early termination would still be unjustified on account of our client’s diagnosed physical disabilities. To try to cancel her LTD benefits early under the mental health disability policy presumes she is only hindered by mental health difficulties. A cursory review of her case reveals, though, that her mental health difficulties are only a portion of her ailments, and that her physical disabilities are arguably more prominent.

At Dabdoub Law Firm, we do not like to leave any part of our clients’ cases up to chance. For this client, we clearly explained to Liberty how most of their surveillance footage was unusable, we elaborated how she was disabled physically and mentally, and we gathered evidence from two objective medical tests that proved her lasting disabilities. Presented with such a strong argument from a team of attorneys who are known by all major insurance companies for never giving up, Liberty reversed its decision and our client’s LTD benefits were approved and extended.

Our Lawyers Specialize in Disability Insurance Claims

Because our law firm has always focused only on disability insurance, our lawyers are experts in legal representation for disability insurance benefits.

That means our disability lawyers have:

  1. Won several major disability lawsuits that help make better law for disability claimants.
  2. Experience fighting every major insurance company, such as UNUM, Hartford, MetLife, CIGNA, Prudential, and more.
  3. Successfully represented hundreds of clients and won millions of dollars in disability benefits.

Because federal ERISA law applies to most disability insurance claims, we can help clients across the country. Disability insurance companies have lawyers. You should, too. Call Dabdoub Law Firm to get experienced disability lawyers on your side.

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Call (800) 969-0488 for a free consultation with a disability attorney. No fees or costs until you get paid.

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