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Recent Cases: Jury verdict of over $1.5 million for wrongful denial of disability insurance benefits to disabled doctor. |
In February 2000, a federal court jury awarded more than $1.5 million to a physician whose benefits under his disability insurance policies were wrongfully denied. The Plaintiff, a surgical anesthesiologist, became totally disabled in 1995 as a result of anxiety and depression. Upon certification from three psychiatrists and two psychologists, Provident Mutual Insurance Company and Provident Life and Accident Insurance Company began paying the doctor the monthly disability benefits provided for in his policies. The doctor filed suit, however, when the insurance companies abruptly terminated the disability benefits in 1997. In his suit, the doctor contended that his condition had not changed -- that he was still disabled -- but that the insurance companies terminated his benefits merely to save money. After a one week trial in the federal district court, the jury deliberated for only two hours before returning a verdict in favor of our client that included all of his past due benefits from 1997 through 2000, together with interest, attorneys' fees and statutory damages for the bad faith denial of the claim. Allison Ficken worked on the case with another attorney. |
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