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Insurance & ERISA Litigation Blog
Insurance Commissioner Jones Charges that Blue Shield Improperly Denied Health Insurance Coverage for Necessary Autism Treatment
California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones recently announced that the California Department of Insurance is investigating whether Blue Shield of California Life and Health Insurance Company (“Blue Shield”) failed to comply…
An Insurance Company Acting as a Claims Administrator is Again a Proper Defendant in an ERISA Suit for Benefits
The Ninth Circuit has reversed itself and ruled that insurance companies that make claim decisions or are responsible for paying benefits can serve as defendants in ERISA actions for benefits…
What are the Available Remedies Against an Insurance Company That Has Acted in Bad Faith?
This article will be the second in a series of articles by McKennon Law Group PC addressing and answering basic questions concerning insurance law. This one addresses: What are the…
Claim Administrator’s Failure to Contact Treating Physicians Found To Be An Abuse Of Discretion Under ERISA
Under ERISA, insurers/claim administrators are required to give every insurance claim a full and fair review. Courts in the Ninth Circuit have construed this requirement in a manner that requires…
California Announces Investigation of MetLife for Failure to Pay Life Insurance Benefits
On April 25, 2011, California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones and California State Controller John Chiang announced that they are investigating Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (“MetLife”) for a failure to pay…
Exhaustion of Administrative Remedies Under ERISA Not Required If Exhaustion Would Have Been Futile
Terrance Burnett was eligible for short-term disability (“STD”) benefits and long-term disability (“LTD”) benefits through employee welfare benefit plans funded by his employer, The Raytheon Company, and administered by Metropolitan…
Fighting An Insurance Claim Denial Will Often Pay Off
It will not be surprising to many readers of this blog that insurance companies often deny life insurance, health insurance and disability insurance claims. Many times, insurance companies are wrong…
Care for a STOLI? Careful! You May Find Yourself in Trouble.
Stranger Originated Life Insurance, also known as a “STOLI,” is a life insurance policy financed or held by a person who has no relationship to the person insured under the…
What is Insurance Bad Faith?
This article will be the first in a series of articles addressing and answering basic questions concerning insurance law. “Bad faith” will be the first concept addressed. When an insurance…
Ninth Circuit Clarifies ERISA’s Full and Fair Review Standard by Imposing New Requirements on Plan Administrators in Salomaa Case
ERISA requires that an administrator provide a claimant with a “full and fair” review of a denial decision. In a recent ruling entitled Salomaa v. Honda Long Term Disability Plan,…
