ORLANDO — A woman has filed suit against a life insurance company for alleged violation of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).
Sharon Cook filed a complaint Oct. 11 in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Orlando Division, against Reliance Standard Life Insurance Co., alleging that the company breached its duty of good faith and fair dealing.
According to the complaint, the plaintiff alleges that she was covered under an employer-sponsored long-term disability benefit insurance plan; however, the defendant supposedly denied her claims for long-term disability benefits despite being disabled as defined by the plan and having met all requirements set by the defendant despite being subjected to an unreasonable claims process.
The plaintiff holds Reliance Standard Life Insurance Co. responsible because the defendant allegedly failed to come up with an unbiased decision because of its conflicting interests/duties to the plaintiff as fiduciary, to its shareholders as a for-profit company and failed to comply with its own rules and criteria for determining payment of benefits.
The plaintiff requests a trial by jury and seeks judgment against the defendant, damages, benefits due, interest, attorney's fees, costs and other relief as may be just. She is represented by William S. Coffman Jr. of Coffman Law in Tampa.
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Orlando Division, Case number 6:16-cv-01770