Washington, DC: Secura Insurance Co, is facing a bad faith insurance class action lawsuit filed by Sara Christensen of Wisconsin. In the proposed class action, Christensen alleges Secura denied her disability benefits.
Christensen, a former employee of Secura, signed up for the Secura Insurance Company Welfare Benefit Plan which is designed to provide a financial safety to an employee should he or she becomes disabled. The policy pays the employee a portion of their monthly earnings, which for Christensen would have been $2,440.36 per month.
Almost two years after joining the company Christensen was forced to leave her position because she could no longer perform her duties due to disabilities she had developed.
As a result, Christensen became eligible to receive long-term disability insurance benefits as defined by her Welfare Benefit Plan. According to the lawsuit, she received the disability benefits until November 20, 2012, less than six months after being forced to leave her job. Secura, the lawsuit claims, has cut off her benefits entirely and has not paid her any benefits since that time.
Despite following the appeals process stipulated by Secura, including submitting all necessary medical documentation, Christensen has yet to have her benefit payments reinstated.
The proposed class action alleges Secura is in violation of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) which the disability benefit plan offered by Secura falls under. ERISA requires insurance companies to provide coverage as agreed upon with their clients.
The insurance lawsuit, entitled Sara Christensen v. Secura Insurance Company, Case No. 1:13-cv-01040-WCG, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, Green Bay Division, is seeking retroactive payment of all benefits due to Christensen under the terms of her Secura insurance policy, since her benefits were denied in November 2012. The lawsuit also asks that Secura reinstate her benefit payments going forward in addition to interest, attorney fees, and whatever other compensation the court decides is appropriate.
