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Welcome!  The Info Library is an internet-based resource that addresses in one place your questions and concerns about disability benefits, disability insurers, your illness, your occupation, and filing a claim, appeal or litigation.  In other words, a "Wikipedia" for disability claims.  If you would like to automatically receive new posts, please subscribe below.

 

 

Category: Litigation - Discovery

Riemer Convinces Court to Award Wide-Ranging Discovery against Hartford

Litigation News Insurers Hartford Discovery

In Jacoby v. Hartford, 254 F.R.D. 477 (S.D.N.Y. 2009), the Federal District in New York City ordered Hartford to produce thousands of pages of documents pertaining to Hartford’s inherent conflict of interest. Rejecting Hartford’s claims of confidentiality and burdensomeness, the Court ordered Hartford to respond to plaintiff’s interrogatories and document demands, including the full production of Hartford’s BMS Claims Manual and SIU Reference Manual. The Court also rejected Hartford’s claim that documents held by its consulting firms Medical Advisory Group and University Disability Consortium were not within its “possession, custody or control.”
This decision is a valuable precedent because it provides a possible solution to the dilemma of being whipsawed between the insurance company and its consultants. When seeking documents, each entity claims that the other has the sole duty of producing the requested documents. In this case, the Court rejected Hartford's assertion that the documents held by its consultants, Medical Advisory Group and University Disability Consortium were outside Hartford's control. The Court ordered Hartford to use its influence with its consultants to obtain the requested documents. The Court held:

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CIGNA's Claims Manual is Not Confidential

Litigation News Insurers Discovery CIGNA Claims Manual

If CIGNA, or one of its subsidiaries, denies your long term disability claim, you should send a request to CIGNA demanding a copy of its claims manual. You should ask for it by name; CIGNA calls its claims manual "The Book of Operating Knowledge."

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