Legal Updates

Imagine spending years battling a serious illness, only to discover after your loved one’s death that their life insurance coverage lapsed without warning. That’s exactly what happened to Lorenza Avila—and her story is a wake-up call for anyone relying on employer-provided life insurance. In Avila v. MetLife & Dell Inc., a federal court addressed a crucial issue: does an employer or insurance provider have a duty to inform a seriously ill employee of their right to keep life insurance coverage if they take certain steps before it lapses? The Facts Lorenza Avila sued MetLife and her late husband’s employer, Dell, [...]

If you’ve filed a disability insurance claim and been told that your condition isn’t “objectively proven,” you’re not alone — and you’re not out of options. Many individuals suffering from debilitating conditions such as chronic pain, fatigue, depression, migraines, or fibromyalgia are unfairly denied benefits because insurance companies claim there’s not enough “objective evidence.” Fortunately, the courts have addressed this issue — and the law is on your side. The Truth About Subjective Symptoms in Disability Claims Not every medical condition shows up on an X-ray or blood test. In fact, some of the most disabling conditions — chronic fatigue [...]

If your disability claim under an employer-sponsored insurance plan has been denied, you’re already facing enough stress. Finding the right attorney to fight for your benefits shouldn’t add to your burden — but the truth is, it will if you don't know what you're doing. Most general "disability" lawyers are not equipped to handle ERISA cases. ERISA is complicated, technical, and full of traps for the unwary. Hiring the wrong attorney can kill your case before it even gets off the ground. Here’s the no-nonsense guide on how to find the right ERISA disability attorney: Make Sure They Actually Handle [...]

In the latest slapdown of insurance shenanigans, the Western District of Pennsylvania dropped a detailed, point-by-point takedown of Unum’s denial of long-term disability (LTD) benefits in Mundrati v. Unum Life Ins. Co. of Am., 2025 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 53449 Let’s dig into why Unum lost — and lost hard. Background: Dr. Pooja Mundrati and a 3-Year Medical Odyssey Dr. Pooja Mundrati, a highly specialized interventional spine physiatrist, suffered serious injuries from a 2018 car accident. Her symptoms ranged from persistent migraines and fatigue to cervical spinal stenosis requiring surgery. For years, she pushed through part-time work with documented restrictions from [...]

The recent case of Abrams v. Unum life Ins. Co. of America, 2022 US Dist. LEXIS 23195T0 highlights that a claimant may prevail on his/her disability claim without supporting objective medical evidence or even a proper diagnosis.   In April 2020 Mr. Abrams, who was a trial and appellate lawyer, began to experience frequent, almost daily, fevers. He also experienced severe fatigue and mental fogginess. He saw seven medical doctors with different specialties. He complained of the same symptoms of brain fog, fatigue, decreased attention and concentration and fevers. Three of his doctors diagnosed him with Long-Covid and four with [...]

Stennett & Casino filed suit against our client’s life insurance company for not paying benefits following his wife’s death. Sally taught the hearing-impaired at the public school. She herself was deaf and communicated mostly by sign language. Her speech is called deaf speech which is difficult to understand until one becomes accustomed to it. Sally’s benefit package as a teacher included life insurance and disability insurance. The premiums for those insurances were deducted from her paycheck.  Both policies were written by the same Insurance Company. Sally received a cancer diagnosis in early 2020. She stopped working as a teacher in [...]