Two Women Suing Insurance Companies for Breach of Contract

Two separate Philadelphia women are suing their insurance companies for breach of contract after they were denied long-term disability benefits.

One of the women, Jamie Hamburg, from Montgomery County, is suing Prudential Insurance Company of America, as both her employer and insurer through an employee plan, according to an article in Penn Record.

Read more: Long Term Disability Defense Attorneys, Philadelphia PA 

“Jamie Hamburg filed a complaint on April 21 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania against New Jersey-based Prudential alleging that it denied plaintiff’s claim for long-term disability benefits last year,” the article reads.

Hamburg alleges in her complaint that she was damaged from having her application for long-term disability benefits wrongly denied. She is holding Prudential responsible because she says despite offering sufficient proof of her disability through medical files following ongoing complications from a surgery – she was still denied.

“The plaintiff seeks judgment against the defendant in an amount that exceeds $150,000, reinstatement of benefits and court costs,” the article reads.

Another Philadephia woman from Allentown is suing The Hartford Life and Accident Insurance Company, citing similar breach of contract claims for denying her benefits.

“Linda Besch filed a complaint on April 17 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania against The Hartford alleging that the insurance company denied plaintiff’s claim for long-term disability benefits,” according to another article by the Penn Record.

In her complaint, Besch alleges that she was also damaged from having her long-term disability benefits terminated after many years of receiving them. She holds The Hartford responsible because it allegedly informed her that she is no longer eligible to receive benefits despite her providing evidence that she is still disabled.

“The plaintiff seeks payment of all benefits, waiver of group life insurance payment premiums, total benefits due under the plan, court costs, interest and any further relief this court grants,” the article reads.

Once short-term benefits expire (generally after three-to-six months), long-term disability insurance pays a percentage of an employee’s salary, usually 50 to 60 percent, depending on the policy. The benefits last until they can return to work or for the number of years stated in the policy.