On August 25, 2011, Spencer Quarries’ employee Charles Y. and his Kentucky disability attorney filed a lawsuit against UNUM Life Insurance Company in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky at Paducah after Charles was denied disability benefits.
In 2006, Charles Y. started experiencing medical problems that affected his ability to work. He applied for his UNUM disability benefits and began receiving those disability benefits on December 11, 2006. Then, on December 10, 2007, UNUM abruptly terminated Charles’ disability benefits, stating that Chares was no longer disabled under the terms of his UNUM plan because “his mental illness of dementia was not a result of stroke, trauma, viral infection, Alzheimer’s disease, or other ‘qualified conditions’ of the plan.”
After Denial of Appeal, Claimant is Forced to Sue UNUM for Unpaid Disability Benefits
On appeal, UNUM upheld its termination of Charles’ disability benefits in April of 2009. Consequently, Charles’ Kentucky disability attorney claims that the insurer improperly terminated Charles’ disability benefits under ERISA (the Employee Retirement Insurance Act of 1974) and has no option but to file a lawsuit to try to reclaim his UNUM long term disability benefits. In the complaint, Charles and his Kentucky disability attorney ask the Court to reinstate Charles’ disability benefits and provide Charles with reasonable attorney’s fees and any other relief as appropriate.