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The United States District Court, District of Minnesota, holds that a life insurance plan improperly terminated a disabled worker’s benefits. In Lundberg v. UNUM Life Insurance Company of America (D. Minn. No. 22-cv-2188, April 4, 2024).
Bradley J. Lundberg worked a desk job at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota that primarily involved computer work. He suffered from anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (AION) in his right eye.
Unum Life Insurance Company of America provided long-term disability benefits from 2018 until it terminated benefits in 2021. The life insurance company determined that Mr. Lundberg was not disabled. He appealed.
The district court reviews whether a preponderance of the evidence supports his benefits claim.
Unum made several errors in its termination decision, overlooking evidence pointing to disability.
All the physicians confirmed that Mr. Lundberg had AION. The record shows that AION gave him ongoing functional impairments. He could not look at a computer for more than a few minutes.
The insurance company incorrectly emphasized his visual acuity. Even though he could see clearly for short periods, he could not look at a computer for long enough to do his work.
When Mr. Lundberg went on a road trip, Unum took that as indicating he was not disabled. However, there is not enough information about the trip to reach that conclusion. The record does not say whether he did all the driving on the trip. Even if he did drive, driving has nothing to do with his desk job work.
The evaluating physicians did have the opportunity to review all the facts. None of them examined whether his condition prevented him from working on the computer.
Nothing on the record suggests that Unum should have terminated the benefits. The district court orders the insurance company to pay Mr. Lundberg back the benefits from the termination.
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Long-Term Disability Benefits Restored
The United States District Court, District of Minnesota, holds that a life insurance plan improperly terminated a disabled worker’s benefits. In Lundberg v. UNUM Life Insurance Company of America (D. Minn. No. 22-cv-2188, April 4, 2024).
Bradley J. Lundberg worked a desk job at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota that primarily involved computer work. He suffered from anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (AION) in his right eye.
Unum Life Insurance Company of America provided long-term disability benefits from 2018 until it terminated benefits in 2021. The life insurance company determined that Mr. Lundberg was not disabled. He appealed.
The district court reviews whether a preponderance of the evidence supports his benefits claim.
Unum made several errors in its termination decision, overlooking evidence pointing to disability.
All the physicians confirmed that Mr. Lundberg had AION. The record shows that AION gave him ongoing functional impairments. He could not look at a computer for more than a few minutes.
The insurance company incorrectly emphasized his visual acuity. Even though he could see clearly for short periods, he could not look at a computer for long enough to do his work.
When Mr. Lundberg went on a road trip, Unum took that as indicating he was not disabled. However, there is not enough information about the trip to reach that conclusion. The record does not say whether he did all the driving on the trip. Even if he did drive, driving has nothing to do with his desk job work.
The evaluating physicians did have the opportunity to review all the facts. None of them examined whether his condition prevented him from working on the computer.
Nothing on the record suggests that Unum should have terminated the benefits. The district court orders the insurance company to pay Mr. Lundberg back the benefits from the termination.
<p><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="color:#0e101a"><img alt="Special Needs Answers case summary." src="https://cdn.elderlawanswers.com/common/uploads/photos/19452-ASNP Badge Case Summary.jpg" style="float:right; height:200px; margin-left:10px; margin-right:10px; width:356px" />The United States District Court, District of Minnesota, holds that a life insurance plan improperly terminated a disabled worker’s benefits. </span></span><em><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><a href="https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/minnesota/mndce/0:2022cv02188/202917/33/" target="_self">In Lundberg v. UNUM Life Insurance Company of America</a></span></em><span style="font-size:14.0pt"> (D. Minn. No. 22-cv-2188, April 4, 2024). </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="color:#0e101a">Bradley J. Lundberg worked a desk job at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota that primarily involved computer work. He suffered from anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (AION) in his right eye. </span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="color:#0e101a">Unum Life Insurance Company of America provided long-term disability benefits from 2018 until it terminated benefits in 2021. The life insurance company determined that Mr. Lundberg was not disabled. He appealed. </span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="color:#0e101a">The district court reviews whether a preponderance of the evidence supports his benefits claim. </span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="color:#0e101a">Unum made several errors in its termination decision, overlooking evidence pointing to disability. </span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="color:#0e101a">All the physicians confirmed that Mr. Lundberg had AION. The record shows that AION gave him ongoing functional impairments. He could not look at a computer for more than a few minutes. </span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="color:#0e101a">The insurance company incorrectly emphasized his visual acuity. Even though he could see clearly for short periods, he could not look at a computer for long enough to do his work. </span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="color:#0e101a">When Mr. Lundberg went on a road trip, Unum took that as indicating he was not disabled. However, there is not enough information about the trip to reach that conclusion. The record does not say whether he did all the driving on the trip. Even if he did drive, driving has nothing to do with his desk job work. </span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="color:#0e101a">The evaluating physicians did have the opportunity to review all the facts. None of them examined whether his condition prevented him from working on the computer. </span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="color:#0e101a">Nothing on the record suggests that Unum should have terminated the benefits. The district court orders the insurance company to pay Mr. Lundberg back the benefits from the termination.</span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><a href="https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/minnesota/mndce/0:2022cv02188/202917/33/" target="_self"><span style="color:#4a6ee0">Read the full opinion</span></a>.</span></p>
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The United States District Court, District of Minnesota, holds that a life insurance plan improperly terminated a disabled worker’s benefits. In Lundberg v. UNUM Life Insurance Company of America (D. Minn. No. 22-cv-2188, April 4, 2024). 
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