Donahue & Horrow Files Disability Insurance Lawsuit Against New York Life
Michael Horrow and the team at Donahue & Horrow recently filed a bad-faith insurance lawsuit against New York Life Insurance Company, seeking payment of disability insurance benefits that were wrongfully withheld from our client.
After dutifully paying insurance premiums for 35 years, our client became disabled after total left hip replacement surgery prevented him from continuing to work at his job as a mechanical engineer. Following the surgery, not only was our client’s mobility severely limited, but he continued to suffer from extreme pain. However, once he submitted his claim for benefits, New York Life and The Paul Revere Life Insurance Company (the Unum-related company New York Life contracted to handle the claim) refused to approve the disability claim.
The denial was not based on a finding that he could continue working, as every doctor who examined him agreed he was disabled. Rather, the denial was based on policy language barring claims based on “bone or joint disorders.”
However, our client’s policy did not contain any such exclusion.
It appears that New York Life and Paul Revere denied his claim because some policies they sold included such an exclusion, even though there was no evidence that our client’s policy included the exclusion.
The lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, but will likely be removed to the Federal Court, more specifically, the Central District of California in Downtown Los Angeles. Michael Horrow will push to ensure that New York Life is held liable, not only for breaching the insurance contract, but for doing so in bad faith.
About Donahue & Horrow LLP
Donahue & Horrow LLP is a California-based law firm with decades of experience representing policyholders in ERISA disability denials, long-term disability denials, insurance bad faith cases, and medical malpractice claims. The firm has recovered more than $300 million for clients and is recognized for its detailed understanding of insurance law and relentless advocacy for individuals and families.