In a case mentioned previously on this Blog, a Long Term Disability Insurer (MetLife) reversed its claims denial decision upon remand from Federal Court.
The client last worked in 2009 and can expect more than five years of past due benefits. This is an unusual circumstance for a case with a long and twisting procedural history.
The client originally came to SMDA while represented by another law firm while she was facing a motion to dismiss her case based on the statute of limitations. SMDA agreed to take her case and won the motion to dismiss-convincing the Court that the language of MetLife’s LTD insurance policy was ambiguous in explaining when she had to file suit to preserve her claim.
SMDA then convinced the federal court that MetLife had abused its discretion by failing to fairly consider the medical evidence. The Court remanded the claim instructing MetLife to review the claims denial decision fairly. MetLife recently agreed that the claimant established her disability and will retroactively reinstate her Long Term Disability benefits back to her last date of work in 2009!