Dabdoub Law Firm Restores Hartford LTD Benefits for Florida Bakery Manager
After Hartford wrongfully terminated his long-term disability (LTD) benefits in September 2022, our client in West Palm Beach turned to Dabdoub Law Firm for assistance. Our accomplished disability insurance attorneys successfully appealed to the insurer on his behalf. Keep reading to learn more about our recent win on behalf of our Florida client.
Our Disability Attorneys Successfully Appealed to Hartford on Behalf of West Palm Beach Client
In 2021, a bakery manager in West Palm Beach, FL was left with no choice but to apply for long-term disability benefits through his insurer, forced to step away from his work due to chronic pain.
After approving his claim, Hartford jumped at the chance to terminate our client’s LTD benefits in September 2022, seizing the first opportunity to do so after he missed a single appointment—a common and understandable mistake on part of any disabled person.
Fortunately, our Dabdoub disability insurance lawyers didn’t hesitate to come to our West Palm Beach client’s defense, ultimately proving that Hartford abandoned its fiduciary duties under ERISA law by wrongfully terminating his disability benefits.
“Hartford’s sudden denial of benefits was in large part due to [his] absence at a scheduled medical examination,” Attorney Kevin Schaefer states in his appeal letter. He adds that Hartford knows this was a simple mistake made by a man who suffers from daily and crippling pain—a man who understandably forgot about his evaluation.
“To jump at an opportunity to terminate benefits because of a simple mistake is not consistent with Hartford's fiduciary duty,” Attorney Schaefer concludes. “Quite simply, there is nothing in the records to support Hartford’s termination of benefits.”
Attorney Schaefer goes on to highlight the wealth of evidence to support our client’s disability, including MRI scans and notes from various medical specialists. Numerous physicians have repeatedly confirmed that our Dabdoub client suffers from worsening symptoms, including multilevel discogenic disease, spondylosis, disc bulges, central canal and neural foraminal narrowing, and chronic neck pain that significantly limit his mobility and day-to-day functioning.
In January 2022, one physician confirmed that our client has “severe limitation in [his] ability to walk due to an arthritic, neurological, or orthopedic condition.” A couple of months later, a March report showed that he showed no significant improvements. In June, doctors confirmed that our client could only sit, walk, and stand for 30 minutes at a time.
“The [medical] records paint a bleak picture of someone who is suffering from chronic and unrelenting pain with no alleviation, despite extensive treatment modalities,” Attorney Schaefer explains, adding that his client’s treating providers—who are intimately familiar with his conditions—have consistently supported his inability to return to the workforce at any capacity. “The evidence here does not support Hartford’s sudden reversal in course. [My client] made an honest mistake in forgetting about the scheduled evaluation, and should not be punished for his mistake.”
Luckily, Dabdoub Law Firm successfully exposed this underhanded attempt to disrupt a disabled person’s life, ultimately holding Hartford accountable for wrongfully terminating our client’s benefits under the guise of a missed appointment.
Attorneys That Specialize in Handling Your Disability Insurance Claims
This law firm was created with a single purpose in mind: to help people get disability benefits from insurance companies. With that kind of focus, we have:
- Experience with every disability insurance company;
- A proven track record of success in winning major long-term disability lawsuits; and
- Recovered millions of dollars in disability benefits for clients like you.
We can help with:
- Submitting a disability insurance claim;
- Appealing a long-term disability denial;
- Negotiating a lump-sum settlement; or
- Filing a lawsuit against your disability insurance company.
Every day, our disability lawyers work to get insurance companies to approve long-term disability claims or appeal disability benefits denials. With so much at stake, shouldn’t you have expert disability lawyers on your side?
Because federal law applies to most disability insurance claims, we do not have to be located in your state to help.
Call (800) 969-0488 or contact us online to speak with an experienced disability insurance lawyer.
