Denied…But Not Defeated

Denied his disability insurance claim four times, Dr. John Doe – ‘John Doe’ is a substitute for the real name of our client to preserve his anonymity – could have given up, but he didn’t. Luckily, he was referred to our firm and we began digging deep into how this 36-year old radiologist’s health condition ended a bright career and turned the tables on his insurance company’s denial.

As a radiologist interpreting X-rays, MRI’s, and other types of medical imagining, Dr. John is a specialist, with more than a decade of medical education and training. As a diagnostic radiologist, Dr. John needs acute vision and cognitive functioning skills to perform his duties. Radiologists work weekends, evenings, and irregular hours and must handle the stress of this demanding career.

Beyond his education, Dr. John also invested in his future by purchasing an expensive individual occupation-specific disability insurance policy with MetLife. Early in his career, Dr. John contracted Meniere’s Disease, a rare disorder of the inner ear that causes vertigo, migraines, dizziness, ocular dysfunction and extreme fatigue. Eventually, Dr. John was forced to quit working. He filed for disability and MetLife denied his claim four times over fourteen months.

We immediately kickstarted our litigation plan, obtaining affidavits from four of Dr. John’s treating doctors, two from his colleagues, and one from his supervisor. All testified that Dr. John was “totally disabled from his occupation” as a result of Meniere’s Disease symptoms.

Faced with irrefutable evidence, MetLife settled before going to court and Dr. John received his benefits. CASE CLOSED.