Kantor & Kantor

September 13, 2019

Kantor & Kantor Presents a Webinar About Getting Insurance Coverage for Explant Surgeries

Attend our October 2 Webinar About Insurance Coverage

You have had or are considering explant surgery. We understand the physical and emotional pains that made you decide on the procedure. We also understand that thinking about insurance coverage should be the farthest thing from your mind.

We have spoken with so many women about their troubles getting insurance coverage for these explants, that we thought it may help to put together some ideas, facts and resources that may resolve at least one part of these ordeals.

September 10, 2019

National Suicide Prevention Week 2019 – You Deserve A Safety Net

by Kathleen MacDonald

National Suicide Prevention Week (“NSPW”) is September 8^th-14^th this year. Each year, the nation’s largest suicide prevention organization, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (“AFSP”), hosts NSPW. One focus of NSPW this year is: Creating A Safety Net.This blog is a little bit about how I created a Safety Net for myself, and why you need one, too.

Why Do You and I Need A Safety Net?

Each of us lives a life in which our experience of living may bring along some challenges. I venture that most would agree that life is not a linear or static journey -neither in a practical or emotional sense. Personally, I have found that this great sweep of things we call “Life,” although a wonderful journey, it has not been one of predictability. While I have enjoyed years of stability and joy, years of happiness, years of feeling inspired, I have also faced years of hard-times, loss, defeat and great suffering.

August 27, 2019

I’ve Been Told it is “Too Late” For Me to Make a Claim For Health, Life, or Disability Benefits. Is That Right?

by Glenn R. Kantor

The correct response is, “maybe, or maybe not, depending on the facts, and the state in which you reside.”

Insurance policies very often have time limits on the submission of a claim for benefits. In some states, those deadlines are VERY strictly construed, and once the deadline has passed, it does become “too late” to make a claim.

However, more than half of the states apply some form of an insurance rule called the “notice prejudice” doctrine. Simply put, even if an insurance policy imposes a time limit for the submission of the claim, if certain rules are met, a claim can be submitted after the time limit if the late notice does not “prejudice” the insurance company’s ability to investigate the claim. However, that is just a basic summary of the rule. In the states that apply some form of the notice prejudice doctrine, its application differs from state to state. In some states, the insured making the late claim must demonstrate a “good reason” for making a late claim. In others, the burden falls on the insured to prove that no prejudice would be suffered by the insurance company because of the late claim submission.

August 23, 2019

Class Action Lawsuit Against Allergan Filed To Protect Women from the Increased Risk of Cancer Resulting from Textured Breast Implants

by Cari M. Schwartz

On August 16, 2019 a nationwide class action lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey against the medical device manufacturer Allergan to protect women with Allergan’s textured breast implants from the increased risk of breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL), which has now been associated with Allergan’s BIOCELL textured breast implants. The case is Jane Doe I, et al. v. Allergan, Inc., et al., No. 2:19-cv-16784 (D.N.J.).

In July, The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requested that Allergan issue a recall of its BIOCELL textured breast implants and tissue expanders, and Allergan agreed and is removing these products from the global market.

The FDA requested that Allergan recall all of its BIOCELL textured breast implants and tissue expanders based on newly submitted Medical Device Reports (MDRs) reporting worldwide cases of BIA-ALCL and BIA-ALCL-related deaths associated with these implants. The FDA’s “analysis was attributed to a new worldwide reported total of 573 unique BIA-ALCL cases including 33 patient deaths. Of the 573 cases of BIA-ALCL, 481 are reported to have Allergan breast implants at the time of diagnosis. In addition, 12 of 13 deaths occurring in patients with BIA-ALCL where the manufacturer was known occurred in patients implanted with an Allergan breast implant at the time of their BIA-ALCL diagnosis. The manufacturer and/or texture is unknown for the remaining 20 reported deaths from BIA-ALCL.”

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.