Disability Insurance Denial Lawsuits Long-Term Disability Insurance Bad Faith

"I have made it my life's work to see that the disadvantaged get heard."

— Attorney Frank N. Darras

Shernoff Bidart Darras & Echeverria LLP is the nation's leading disability insurance bad faith law firm. We introduced the legal concept of bad faith insurance in 1971 in a case involving a farm worker with emphysema whose long-term disability benefits were unfairly denied.

Over the past two decades, our law firm has represented more than 20,000 disabled workers, from Hollywood celebrities to professional athletes to average white collar and blue collar workers.

Today, our managing partner, Attorney Frank Darras, is recognized as the nation's number one expert on disability insurance concerns. He reviews more than 1,000 disability insurance cases every month and returns more than $40 million each year to the disabled. He is dedicated to helping those unable to afford representation because he remembers his own humble beginnings.

Under his leadership, our law firm files disability insurance denial lawsuits on behalf of clients throughout the nation. Clients contact us directly and other attorneys refer thousands of their clients to us because they have confidence in our legal abilities and they know their clients will be treated with the utmost compassion and respect.

"America's blue-collar workers have a champion in Darras, a trial lawyer who takes on insurance companies which wrongly deny disability claims."

—Lawdragon editorial review, 2006, recognizing Frank N. Darras as one of America's top 500 litigators.

Disability insurance was oversold and underpriced for years. The insurance companies were making promises to policyholders they couldn't afford to keep, so they engaged in bath faith practices to minimize their claims payments. We file disability insurance denial lawsuits to make insurers live up to their obligations.

In 2002, 60 Minutes caught the nation's largest disability insurance provider, UnumProvident, in a bad faith insurance scandal. Former employees described the company's systematic scheme of denying and terminating valid disability claims in order to increase its own profits.

Attorney Darras defended the deposition of a former UnumProvident staff physician who blew the whistle on the company's bad faith practices. He was instrumental in coordinating a settlement agreement that gave policyholders in all 50 states the right to have their denied claims reopened and reviewed.

We file disability insurance denial lawsuits for people who have private disability insurance and for those insured through their employers. If your disability insurance claims have been delayed, denied or terminated unfairly, please contact a disability insurance attorney at Shernoff Bidart Darras & Echeverria LLP for a free consultation.

Private Disability Insurance

Private disability insurance, purchased from an insurance agent or broker, includes short-term and long-term, occupation specific, credit card, mortgage, business overhead and key man disability insurance.

Occupation specific disability insurance pays benefits if you are disabled and can no longer work in your chosen profession, even if you are able to do other types of work. Credit card and mortgage disability insurance cover your monthly payments in the event you become disabled. Business overhead insurance pays the cost of business expenses, from rent or mortgage to utilities and salaries, when a business owner is disabled. Key man insurance compensates a company for the contributions of a disabled partner or other key executive in the firm.

We file disability insurance lawsuits for a variety of insurance bad faith practices, including:

• Broker negligence
• Overruling your doctor's opinion
• Reclassifying your injury as an illness rather than an injury
• Retroactively cancelling your insurance policy
• Insisting on independent medical examination by their own insurer-friendly physicians

Employer Sponsored Disability Insurance

For those who purchase long-term disability insurance (LTD) through their employers, disability insurance denial disputes are litigated under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and heard by a judge, not a jury. Legal remedies in ERISA cases are typically limited to benefits owed.

All of us at Shernoff Bidart Darras & Echeverria LLP are passionate about righting the wrongs of insurance companies. Please contact our disability insurance lawyers today to discuss your case.