Disability Insurance Lawsuits

A Track Record of Winning Long Term Disability Insurance Lawsuits

Taking on a disability insurance company in a lawsuit can be intimidating. Not for us. We are experts in disability insurance.

It’s important to hire a law firm with a proven record of success in the courtroom. Our disability insurance law firm can back-up its claim that we can take on insurance companies from the start of a LTD claim to winning the lawsuit in court. How? We have court wins in federal trial courts and courts of appeals to prove it.

Because we specialize in disability insurance, our lawyers have achieved remarkable success in winning disability lawsuits against insurance companies. Winning disability lawsuits not only means our clients win their long term disability benefits, it also means we make good law for disability claimants.

It is no secret that insurance companies hide behind disability insurance laws, like ERISA, to deny valid disability insurance claims. Because ERISA and disability laws can be more favorable to insurance companies, it can be difficult to win a disability insurance lawsuit. Our team of lawyers, led by Attorney Edward Dabdoub have fought back for clients and achieved outstanding results.

If you need to file a lawsuit against your disability insurance company, our lawyers know how to win these cases. We proudly represent clients in all 50 states. Call to speak with an attorney with expertise in disability insurance.

Below is a list of some of our federal court wins against insurance companies:

• Miller v. PNC Disability Plan: In this case that concluded in October 2017, our client suffered from degenerative disc disease, a serious medical condition that cause her to suffer chronic pain. To try to alleviate her symptoms, she underwent five total surgeries but none were successful in preventing her disability. Liberty reviewed disability claims for PNC and initially approved her benefits, only to inexplicably terminate them later. The case eventually went to federal court, where the Chief Judge ruled in our client’s favor. As such, this case result helped set some groundwork for future similar cases on some very complicated legal issues.
• Ashmore v. NFL Disability Plan: In 2018, Dabdoub Law Firm had the honor of winning a case for NFL star Darryl Ashmore, who sought disability benefits through the Player Disability & Neurocognitive Benefit Plan managed by the NFL. Across 11 seasons of play, Mr. Ashmore suffered a variety of injuries that caused migraines, chronic pain, and more health complications. To try to discourage him from seeking benefits, the Plan told him that he must attend numerous medical evaluations in multiple states in just a few weeks’ time, despite travel being detrimental health due to his conditions. After he understandably did not attend all the medical evaluations, the NFL outright denied his disability benefits, which is when Dabdoub Law Firm filed suit to recover his disability benefits. We fought a formidable opponent like the NFL in court and won.
• Bradshaw v. Reliance Standard: Our client suffered a stroke not long after giving birth, causing her to become disabled and unable to return to work. Reliance Standard denied her benefits on the basis that her pregnancy had apparently contributed to her stroke, and that she had not been insured by the company prior to her pregnancy. Dabdoub Law Firm helped Ms. Bradshaw appeal the case to a federal court of appeal and argued against the insurer’s “but for” argument. In a decision that would help form the basis for similar future cases, the court held that the “substantially contributed to” test must be applied. That is to say, if her pregnancy did not “substantially contribute to” her stroke’s occurrence, then her benefits cannot be denied. Our team prevailed on behalf of Ms. Bradshaw in February 2019.
• Kaviani v. Reliance Standard: As recently as May 2019, Dabdoub Law Firm won another LTD benefits case in federal court. This time, Reliance Standard tried to portray our client as lying about his disability. As a dentist, our client needed to use precise dental tools in the average day, but his chronic pain prevented him from being able to use them with the right amount of care. The insurer tried to use medical opinions from its own doctors that said he should be at work in pain because it was better than being at home in pain, and that his disability had no outwardly visible symptoms. With a pile of evidence of his disability and inability to work as a dentist, Dabdoub Law Firm countered Reliance Standard’s argument, challenged the medical opinions, and won the case for our client, forever changing his life for the better.
• Kaviani Win in the United States Court of Appeals: After winning the disability lawsuit for a Florida dentist disabled from cervicalgia, Reliance appealed that decision. The case went to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, which sided with our client, marking a major victory by Dabdoub Law Firm for our client.
• Millis v. Ameritas: Dabdoub Law Firm took to The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois to fight against Ameritas regarding their specialty own-occupation disability insurance policies. We won for our client who was an Illinois liver transplant surgeon who suffered from a wrist injury disabling him from his occupation.

• Gimeno Win in the United States Court of Appeals: When our client filed a life insurance claim after his spouse’s death, he discovered that his late spouse had been paying premiums for supplemental life insurance benefits that never made it to the insurance company. As a plan administrator, NCHMD, Inc. misled its employee and our client’s spouse, causing our client (the primary beneficiary of the plan) to miss out on $350,000 in benefits.

  Our client sued NCHMD, Inc. for equitable relief, but cited the wrong statute. When he sought to amend his claim, the District Court denied his request. Dabdoub Law Firm helped our client appeal, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit reversed the district court’s decision.

  Now, our client can sue NCHMD, Inc. for mishandling his late spouse’s life insurance policy. While he cannot get benefits, he will be entitled to the relief he needs, and the United States Court of Appeals upheld all ERISA plan beneficiaries’ right to equitable relief.

Attorneys That Specialize in Handling Your Disability Insurance Lawsuit

As a law firm that specializes in helping people get disability benefits from insurance companies, our lawyers are experts.

Why Us?

• Every lawyer focuses on disability insurance
• We have a proven track record of success in the courtroom
• We have recovered millions of dollars in disability benefits for clients across the country
• We have challenged every major insurance company and know their tactics

With so much at stake, shouldn’t you have experienced disability lawyers on your side? Call our firm today!