Settlements

F&N Resolves a Four Year Delay in UNUM Lump Sum Settlement Matter

We were contacted by a 56 year-old man from Maryland who had been trying to negotiate a lump sum settlement of his private disability insurance claim with UNUM for four years. His attempts to simplify his disability claim status were tied up in requests for additional records, further medical evaluations, and the delays and denials that we know from experience are a strategic ploy to simply wear out disability claimants until they give up.

The Law Office of Justin Frankel was recommended to this claimant by a leading disability consultant who knows Justin Frankel’s reputation for determined and aggressive representation of its clients. This is the kind of situation where our experience shines.

Justin was able to cut through all of the delays, negotiate a lump sum settlement that exceeded our client’s expectations, and get the matter resolved fast. While every situation is different, this particular matter is a good example of what an experienced and determined disability attorney can do for clients. Disability insurance is not a do-it-yourself project.

CIGNA Waits Until the Lawsuit Begins to Settle a Claim

Our client was an equity floor trade on the New York Stock Exchange, an intense job with a high income. Performing at the top of his game, he made split second decisions concerning millions of dollars in equities. When he developed Tinnitus, a ringing or noise in the ears, because of an Acoustic Neuroma – a benign brain tumor that connects the brain to the inner near – he could no longer hear, sleep or focus.

His treating and evaluating doctors include some of the most distinguished and outstanding physicians in the field, department heads and chairs at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital and the Center for Cranial Base Surgery, a world leader in the complex neurosurgical treatment of cranial base tumors. CIGNA had a general practitioner and a registered nurse review selected portions of his medical records. They denied his claim. The paper review was poorly done and contained numerous discrepancies. CIGNA’s continued delay of the appeal violated time requirements. We aggressively filed a lawsuit, charging CIGNA with failing to issue a timely decision on our appeal. Just as the lawsuit started, CIGNA reversed its decision. Our client was paid his past due benefits and is back on claim.