Tag Archives: Arizona disability lawyer
Unum Creates Ambiguities to Escape Bad Faith Liability
In California, “[t]he key to a bad faith claim is whether or not the insurer’s denial of coverage was reasonable,” which ordinarily is question of fact for the jury. Guebara v. Allstate Ins. Co., 237 F.3d 987, 992 (9th Cir. … Continue reading
Northwestern Mutual Denies Dentist Disability Benefits
Under California law, a disabled dentist’s return to work does not necessarily preclude recovery on his disability insurance benefits. This was held in Zambito v. Northwestern Mut. Life Ins. Co. In Zambito, a dentist suffering from mental illness filed suit … Continue reading
California Assesses Punitive Damages for Disability Insurer’s Despicable Conduct
In our last blog post, we discussed when, under Arizona law, punitive damages may be assessed against a disability insurance company that is guilty of insurance bad faith. In this blog post, we examine how the same issue is analyzed … Continue reading
Disability Insurer’s Evil Hand Guided by an Evil Mind
In some disability insurance cases, punitive damages are assessed against the disability insurer when it violates the covenant of good faith and fair dealing with the insured. In Arizona, a court may award punitive damages as punishment against a wrongdoer … Continue reading
Prudential Says Return to Work
Prudential Group Insurance has set up a Return to Work service which provides employers with assistance in setting up their own Return to Work programs for disabled employees. According to a press release in the Wall Street Journal, these employer-sponsored … Continue reading
Ed Comitz Scheduled to Speak at Western Regional Dental Convention: “Disability Insurance: Will It Be There When You Need It?”
Ed Comitz will be a speaker at the 2012 Western Regional Dental Convention, which will be held at the Phoenix Convention Center on March 29-31, 2012. Mr. Comitz’s course is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Friday, March … Continue reading
Article by Ed Comitz this month in the Arizona Dental Association’s Publication “Inscriptions” re Whether Your Disability Insurer Can Dictate the Terms of Your Care
Inscriptions, the monthly publication of the Arizona Dental Association, features an article in the October issue by disability insurance attorney Edward Comitz and Comitz | Beethe summer associate Michael Vincent. The article analyzes the question of whether the terms of … Continue reading
The 10 Biggest Legal Mistakes Dentists Make When Filing a Disability Claim (Mistake #8)
Next in the series of The 10 Biggest Legal Mistakes Dentists Make When Filing a Claim for Disability, adapted from a publication written by disability attorney Ed Comitz’s, published by SEAK, Inc., 2005, is Mistake #8: MISTAKE NO. 8: Ignoring the Possibility … Continue reading
American Dental Association’s “Guide to Closing a Dental Practice”
For dentists and other healthcare professionals considering filing a disability insurance claim, the decision to close a practice can be heart-wrenching and complex. The American Dental Association has published a guide that gives an overview of the issues and some … Continue reading
The Ethical Component in Knowing When It’s Time to File a Disability Claim
The dentist considering a disability insurance claim is faced with a difficult decision: is it really time to look after his own health, or should he just keep working through the pain? An article by Richard Gunderman, a Professor at Indiana University’s … Continue reading