Client Receives More Than Double the Final Value of Their Disability Insurance Policy Following Denial
We are delighted and proud to share that we recently obtained a settlement for our client valued at more than double the full value of their disability contract in issue.
Led by Michael Horrow, the team of specialized insurance lawyers at Donahue & Horrow LLP, were able to obtain this outstanding settlement for their client who suffered a long-term disability. It was a full and total victory that will provide our client with the stable financial future she bargained for at the purchase of her disability insurance policy.
Our client, the owner and operator of a daycare facility in San Dimas, purchased disability insurance in 2001. After paying premiums for almost 19 years, she was forced to make a claim after being diagnosed with Stage II/III melanoma cancer and could no longer continue working. However, because our client was dedicated to her job and did not immediately stop working as soon as she was diagnosed with cancer, the insurance company focused on a technicality as an excuse to deny her claim. Even when her melanoma reoccurred, and our client was forced to undergo debilitating immunotherapy and chemotherapy treatments, the insurance company continued to deny her claim for disability insurance benefits. She was left to fight her cancer diagnosis and her insurance company at the same time.
We are grateful that she came to us for support and that we were able to quickly file a lawsuit in Los Angeles County court, alleging that the insurance company improperly breached the insurance contract in bad faith, which, if proven, would entitle her to damages beyond the value of the contract. The case was removed to the Federal Court, for the Central District of California.
Following written discovery and one deposition, the parties agreed to mediation. At the mediation, we were able to secure a settlement that was more than two times the value of the contract, ensuring our client would receive more than the full value of her insurance benefits, even after accounting for attorneys’ fees and costs.
If you believe that an insurance company improperly denied your claim for disability insurance benefits, contact the team at Donahue & Horrow LLP today at (877) 664-5407 for a FREE CASE EVALUATION of your claim. We are here to help.