PHILADELPHIA — A former company foreman is suing Life Insurance Company of America, saying the company improperly denied his long-term disability benefits.
Audie Chouest filed a complaint on May 16 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania against Life Insurance Company of America, alleging that the plan administrator failed to comply with the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.
According to the complaint, the plaintiff alleges that he became disabled on Dec. 19, 2012, as a result of a motor vehicle accident. The defendant allegedly approved his claim for disability by a letter dated June 19, 2013, and terminated the benefits on June 16, 2015. The plaintiff holds Life Insurance Company of America responsible because the defendant allegedly denied all his disability insurance benefits and continues to refuse to pay the benefits pursuant to the policy, failed to provide a full and fair review and failed to provide prompt investigation of the merits of his disability claim.
The plaintiff requests a trial by jury and seeks compensation for all damages, plus interest, attorneys' fees and costs, pre-judgment and post-judgment interest and such other and further relief as the court may deem just and proper. He is represented by Jason A. Newfield and Justin C. Frankel of Frankel & Newfield PC in Garden City, New Jersey.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Case number 2:16-cv-02365