ERISA

August 16, 2019

Kantor & Kantor Wins Life Insurance Appeal in Federal Court in Virginia

Elizabeth Hopkins and Michelle Roberts, Kantor & Kantor Partners, recently obtained a favorable decision from the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, concluding that a widow could hold her deceased husband’s employer accountable for its actions in preventing her from obtaining the life insurance under her husband’s ERISA-covered benefit plan.

Specifically, although the employer, National Counseling Group (NCG), collected premiums for the life insurance coverage from the husband until the time of his death, it never told him that when he began to work part-time, he became ineligible under the plan but could convert his coverage to an individual policy. After he died, NCG told his widow not to pursue her claim against the insurance company because it was going to pay her the full benefits, even though it later refused to do so. Despite these misdeeds, the trial judge dismissed the case after concluding that NCG owed no fiduciary duty to either the decedent or his widow.

Kantor & Kantor attorneys, who are ERISA litigation specialists, took over the case for the appeal. They argued that the trial judge’s ruling was wrong because NCG was named as a fiduciary and plan administrator in the governing documents and, as such, NCG was required to give accurate and complete information to both the decedent and to his widow.

August 7, 2019

Should You Hire an Attorney to File your Initial STD or LTD Claim?

by Beth A. Davis

Many people submit short term disability and long term disability claims on their own, without consulting or engaging an attorney to assist them. We think you should consider hiring an attorney to assist you in this endeavor. Ensuring that you have all of the necessary information to get your claim approved with the first submission can be a daunting task. You are already not feeling well because you are disabled. Moreover, you do not know the ins and outs of the disability insurance world and we attorneys do.

There are several nuances to this process. Disability attorneys know what documents to help you gather including not only your medical records but additional evidence in support of your claim such as independent medical evaluations, functional capacity evaluations and other medical exams. We also know how to help you get the necessary vocational evidence to support your claim that you can no longer perform the duties of your own occupation.

If you submit your claim on your own and it is denied, you will have to submit an administrative appeal in order to preserve your right to benefits. You will likely come to us at this point and we will advise you on what was missing from your initial claim that resulted in the denial. If you hire an attorney at the initial claim stage, while it is not a guarantee that benefits will be approved, if they are approved, it is certainly a time saver for you.

August 7, 2019

Your Medical Records – What Goes in Them Matters

by Beth A. Davis

When you become ill with what may turn out to be a disabling condition, you are not likely thinking about whether the things you say to your physician might impact a short or long term disability claim, but you should be. Unfortunately, insurance companies use comments by claimants and their physicians found in the claimant’s medical records to discredit their claims. They can also be used to apply provisions in the policy that limit the duration of benefits. In some cases, depending on the medical facility where you treat, even your email and telephonic communications are recorded and placed in your medical records. These can be extremely detrimental to your disability claim.

Here are some examples from real claims: A man went to his physician and was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. His symptoms were already pretty advanced and his doctor determined he should stop working. We helped him make a claim for disability benefits. One of the symptoms of PD is depression. Our client had mentioned to his neurologist on many occasions that he was suddenly feeling very depressed. Even though his physician attributed his depression to his PD and even though he had never before had depression, his LTD carrier tried to apply the policy’s mental/nervous limitation which would have limited his benefits to only 24 months, claiming he was disabled by depression, not PD.

In another case, a client who was already receiving long term disability benefits whose claim had been terminated came to our firm for assistance. We told him he would need assistance from his physician for his appeal of the denial. We explained the points the doctor’s letter would need to address and the client listed those points in an email to his physician. Because the client treats at Kaiser Permanente, that email was included in his medical records. When his insurer requested copied of his medical records, his insurer was able to obtain communications between the client and his attorney all because he sent an email to his doctor asking for help.

July 18, 2019

Kantor & Kantor Wins Long Term Disability Benefits for Claimant Disabled by Trigeminal Neuralgia

by Monica Lienke

Kantor & Kantor won a notable victory against the Life Insurance Company of North America (also known as “LINA” or “Cigna”) in Elliott v. Life Insurance Company of North America, Inc., No. 16-CV-01348-MMC, 2019 WL 2970843 (N.D. Cal. July 9, 2019), a case in the San Francisco Bay Area involving a denial of long-term disability benefits to the plaintiff who is disabled by trigeminal neuralgia.

The plaintiff, Elliott had to stop working in his position as Vice President of a brokerage firm due to symptoms from trigeminal neuralgia, a chronic pain condition affecting the trigeminal nerve, which is a cranial nerve responsible for sensation and certain motor functions in the face. Elliott was experiencing symptoms including shooting facial and head pain on a daily basis, migraines, difficulty talking, as well as medication side effects including sedation and cognitive slowing.

LINA had approved Elliott’s initial claim for short-term-disability, but denied his claim for long-term disability benefits and upheld its denial on appeal, stating that there was a lack of objective evidence to support his diagnosis. After the Social Security Administration approved Elliott’s social security benefits claim, finding him disabled, LINA had another opportunity to reconsider its decision deny Elliott’s claim but declined to do so.

July 11, 2019

Do You Have a Supportive Doctor?

by Beth A. Davis

There is almost nothing more important to a successful disability claim than a supportive physician. At every point of your claim, you will need the help of your doctor. At the initial claim, your doctor will be asked to complete a form certifying that you are disabled and providing detailed information about the symptoms you have that prevent you from performing the duties of your occupation. She will also be asked to provide your restrictions and limitations that prevent you from working.

If you have been awarded disability benefits and you are “on claim,” your insurance company will ask your doctor for information on your condition as it periodically investigates whether you remain disabled under the terms of your policy.

You will need a doctor who is willing to fill out forms sent by the insurance company. More importantly, you will need a doctor who understands that if she is too quick with these forms and does not pay attention, noting that you “can sit frequently” when she means you are fine to sit at home on your sofa and does not intend to say you are fine to go back to work can be enough to get your claim denied.

July 10, 2019

Kantor & Kantor, Co-Counsel File Class Action on Behalf of DuPont Retirees

by Kantor & Kantor LLP

DowDuPont merger attempts to thwart DuPont’s promised pensions to employees that helped build the company.

Kantor & Kantor lawyers are representing U.S. retirees of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company in a class action lawsuit after a series of corporate maneuvers taken by the company over the last four years left workers’ retirement benefits in jeopardy of failing. Elizabeth Hopkins and Susan Meter are representing the proposed class action along with co-counsel.

W. Daniel “Dee” Miles, III, head of Beasley Allen’s Consumer Fraud Section, is one of the co-counsel working with our firm on the case. “Workers for DuPont have given decades of their working lives to the company to secure a pension for retirement that they were promised. These companies are now attempting to find ways to not only avoid funding the plan, but also are placing it in jeopardy of failing, leaving the workers with little or no pension after a lifetime of savings,” Miles said.

July 9, 2019

Mastering Long Term Disability Benefits

by Brent Dorian Brehm

Due to their depth and breadth of knowledge, the attorneys at Kantor & Kantor are frequently asked to speak at seminars, conferences, or give presentations. In June of 2019, partner Brent Dorian Brehm was asked by a national continuing legal education (CLE) provider to speak about long term disability benefits. The seminar was titled “Mastering Social Security, Long-term Disability & Government Benefits.” Mr. Brehm took the attendees on a journey from the start to the end of a long term disability claim – and everything in between. He also covered relevant differences between disability claims governed by state law and those governed by ERISA.

While we cannot provide you with the actual presentation or the question and answer segment that followed, we can provide Mr. Brehm’s outline. This information is valuable to anyone at any stage in the long term disability claim process. It starts from the beginning – explaining what LTD benefits are. It then goes through tips on making a successful LTD claim. It addresses what needs to be done during the claim stage to avoid litigation – but be ready for it if that must happen. And finally reviews the nuts and bolts of litigating both an ERISA and bad faith disability claim.

What are long term disability benefits?

June 28, 2019

Super Lawyers Recognizes Kantor & Kantor Attorneys for 2019

by Kantor & Kantor LLP

Kantor & Kantor, LLP is pleased to announce that for the fifth consecutive year (after three years as a Rising Star), Michelle L. Roberts has been selected to the 2019 Northern California Super Lawyers list. No more than five percent of the lawyers in the state are selected by the research team at Super Lawyers to receive this honor. To top that off, Ms. Roberts was once again named as one of the Top 50 Women and Top 100 Attorneys.

And in the first of what we are confident will be many accolades, Andrew M. Kantor has been selected to the 2019 Southern California Rising Stars list in the Employee Benefits practice area. Each year, no more than 2.5 percent of the lawyers in the state are selected by the research team at Super Lawyers to receive this honor.

Super Lawyers, a Thomson Reuters business, is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The annual selections are made using a patented multiphase process that includes a statewide survey of lawyers, an independent research evaluation of candidates and peer reviews by practice area. The result is a credible, comprehensive and diverse listing of exceptional attorneys. The Super Lawyers lists are published nationwide in Super Lawyers Magazines and in leading city and regional magazines and newspapers across the country. Super Lawyers Magazines also feature editorial profiles of attorneys who embody excellence in the practice of law. For more information about Super Lawyers, visit SuperLawyers.com.

June 10, 2019

The Supreme Court to Decide the Nature of Knowledge

by Elizabeth Hopkins and Susan L. Meter

The Supreme Court agreed Monday, June 10, 2019, to resolve a conflict between the Ninth Circuit and the Sixth Circuit on when ERISA’s three-year statute of limitations begins to run. The statute provides that a fiduciary breach claim may be brought within six years of a breach unless the plaintiff had “actual knowledge” of the breach, in which case a three-year statute of limitations applies. The Ninth Circuit found in Sulyma v. Intel Corporation Investment Policy Committee, 909 F.3d 1069 (9^th Cir., 2018), that the actual knowledge requirement that triggers the running of the three-year statute of limitations does not begin until the participant actually knew about the breach, rather than when the participant can be charged with implied knowledge based on distribution of plan documents or other notices. The Ninth Circuit recognized that its ruling about the actual acknowledgement requirement conflicts with the Sixth Circuit’s decision in Brown v. Owens Corning Investment Review Committee, 622 F.3d 564 (6^th Cir. 2010). The Brown case sets a much lower bar, holding that the statute begins to run once the participants are given instructions on how to access plan documents. The Brown court stated Congress did not intend “the actual knowledge requirement to excuse willful blindness.” The Ninth Circuit said that the Sixth Circuit standard is not good enough.

The Sulyma case stems from allegations the investment committee selected investments for participant accounts that were unduly risky and that Intel acted imprudently by either disregarding the risks or failing to investigate the risks. Specifically, it was alleged the funds were invested heavily in hedge funds and private equity. The Ninth Circuit determines when the three-year statute of limitations begins to run is performed using a two-prong approach. The Court first isolates and defines the alleged breach and then determines when the plaintiff had actual knowledge of the alleged breach. In a lengthy decision the Court analyzed what it means to have actual knowledge.

The Court reasoned that actual knowledge must be something more than simply knowledge of the underlying transaction, at least in cases where such knowledge does not obviously disclose the breach. Furthermore, the Court concluded that the exact nature and quantum of knowledge required to trigger the limitations period will vary depending on the nature or the claim. Thus, although the Ninth Circuit acknowledged that participants had been given investment information in several different formats, because Sulyma testified and argued he did not know his retirement was so heavily invested in hedge funds or private equity the Court determined that whether plaintiff had actual knowledge was a question of fact and should not have been decided on summary judgment.

June 7, 2019

Insurance Companies Certainly Do Not Make It Easy: Be On the Lookout for Some of Their Tactics

by Andrew M. Kantor

Yahoo Finance published an article about how insurers try to prevent individuals from obtaining disability benefits. While the article discusses Canadian insurers, our experience is that the tactics described in that article also happen in the United States.

This blog elaborates on some of the points raised in the article, especially as they relate to ERISA insureds. The Yahoo article observed:

“Surveillance is a common tactic. Insurers will hire private investigators to try to catch you in the act of doing something a disabled or injured person couldn’t, like moving a ladder or other heavy objects.