PROVEN LAWSUIT RESULTS
What sets us apart:
Fields Disability has a proven track record of winning. When you are disabled and unable to work, the law firm you hire can make all the difference in whether you will win your case. See what our clients say about us Insurance companies are not named in our lawsuit results due to confidentiality agreements. Please contact us for more information regarding our litigation experience with specific disability insurance companies
Here are just a few of our lawsuit wins for our clients around the United States.
Staffing Coordinator - Dandridge, TN
Spinal Stenosis in Lumbar and Cervical Spine, Fibromyalgia, Hypothyroidism
“A 60-year-old individual who worked for a large tire manufacturer as a Staffing Coordinator was forced to cease work due to spinal stenosis of her lumbar and cervical spine, fibromyalgia, and hypothyroidism. She applied for long-term disability benefits, and Cigna paid her benefits for almost one year. One day, out of the blue, the woman received a letter from Cigna stating that medical personnel from Cigna reviewed her claim and stated that she could go back to work. These medical personnel gave these opinions without ever even meeting the woman.
She turned to Fields Disability for help. Our attorneys crafted an appeal in which we argued that Cigna misconstrued the nature of the woman’s job and the physical requirements associated with it. Furthermore, we argued that Cigna was wrong to rely on doctors who had never met or examined the woman. After Fields Disability submitted the appeal, Cigna reviewed the evidence and admitted they made a mistake by discontinuing her benefits. The issued a check for the past due benefits that they owed to our client, who was very happy she entrusted Fields Disability to handle her appeal.”
City Tax Appraiser - Mauk, GA
Spinal Stenosis
“A 50 year old County Tax Appraiser became disabled after a diagnosis of permanent spinal stenosis. Because she loved her job, she continued to do her work for several months, without complaint, but when it became too painful she had no choice but to apply for long term disability. Despite her debilitating condition and the clear evidence supporting the same, the disability carrier denied her claiming she could still able to perform the work of a tax appraiser. It was clear the disability carrier did not understand the physically challenging nature of such an occupation. Her job demanded she travel out into the field to visually and physically examine machinery and other objects, which necessitated walking long distances, climbing, kneeling, reaching, lifting and standing for lengthy periods of time.
She hired Fields Disability and our attorneys reached out to the medical providers and obtained records and reports, clearly demonstrating that this client could not meet the specific demands of her occupation due to her spinal stenosis. A lawsuit was filed which resulted in a settlement of a significant sum of money to this client, which enabled her to continue with her treatment, pay her bills and meet her overall financial needs for her and her family.”
Oil Rig Manager - Minden, LA
Leg Pain, Scar Tissue, Nerve Damage
“A superintendent of an off-shore oil rig in Louisiana had knee surgery following a car accident. He had complications from surgery and ultimately needed a total knee replacement. He experienced severe discomfort and pain from walking, standing, sitting, or kneeling for more than a few minutes at a time. His condition became too severe, and he was forced to stop working. He was approved for long-term disability benefits through his employee insurance policy and received benefits for two years. Then the insurance company sent him a letter stating that he no longer fit their definition of disabled, and that he would stop receiving payments.
Worried about the sudden loss in income, he called Fields Disability for help. The attorneys at Fields Disability combed through the claim file from the insurance company and found several oversights. The insurance company said that our client could find other work, but did not provide a description of what type of work our client could complete. The attorneys at Fields Disability used updated medical reports to mount an appeal against the insurance company. The insurance company denied benefits on appeal, but Fields attorneys quickly filed a lawsuit in federal court to fight for our client’s benefits. During preparations for trial, our attorneys negotiated a generous lump-sum settlement for our client. Our client was overjoyed at the settlement amount and was pleased that he did not need to continue the fight against his insurer.”
Aircraft Mechanic - Summerville, SC
Lumbar Spine Issues
“An aircraft mechanic ceased working due to low back pain because he was unable to keep up with the physical demands of his job. His claim was paid for the entire Own Occupation period of the policy, but when the definition changed to Any Occupation, the insurance company denied continuing benefits. The insurance company said the mechanic would be able to perform a number of desk jobs, despite only holding mechanical jobs for the past 30 years.
He hired Fields Disability to appeal the determination. Fields attorneys hired a vocational expert to discuss our client’s work history and his non-competitiveness for desk work. The insurance company denied the appeal, but totally failed to respond to the vocational expert’s report. The Fields attorneys were able to successfully negotiate a large settlement leveraging the insurance company’s error.”
Machine Slitter (Machine Operator) - Milwaukee, WI
Lumbar Degenerative Disc Disease, Chronic Lumbar Back Pain, Anterolisthesis of Lumbar Spine
“Our client worked as a Machine Slitter operating heavy machinery in Wisconsin for over twenty years. Over the years, he developed degenerative disc disease throughout his lumbar spine, chronic lumbar back pain, and anterolisthesis. He tried to work through his growing pain but finally his doctors took him off work and he applied for short-term disability benefits through Liberty Mutual. At first, Liberty Mutual paid his short-term benefits but as the switch to long-term benefits approached, Liberty Mutual denied the short-term disability claim and preemptively denied his long-term disability claim.
Our client quickly reached out to Fields Disability for help. Our team reviewed all the documentation used to deny our client’s benefits and quickly found that Liberty Mutual had adopted a medical record review by a physician who had never examined client. This review failed to consider our client’s job duties, and the opinions of his doctors before finding him not disabled. Our attorneys built an appeal with letters from the treating doctors responding to the medical record review, and federal guidelines detailing our client’s job duties. Moreover, we successfully argued that the medical record review improperly ignored relevant evidence already provided to Liberty Mutual. After reviewing our appeal Liberty Mutual reversed its decision, paid our client’s remaining short-term disability benefit, paid the back pay owed on long-term disability, and commenced monthly long-term disability benefit payments.”
SETTLEMENTS AND RECOVERIES IN ALL CASES DEPEND ON SPECIFIC FACTUAL AND LEGAL CIRCUMSTANCES WHICH ARE UNIQUE TO EACH CLIENT’S CASE. PAST CASE RESULTS ARE NOT A GUARANTEE OR PREDICTION OF SIMILAR RESULTS IN FUTURE CASES WHICH THE FIELDS LAW FIRM AND ITS LAWYERS MAY UNDERTAKE.
