Quadrino Schwartz, your resource for Insurance, Class Actions, and Business Law

“Own Occupation” Means Just That
When an insurer denied a cardiac surgeon’s long-term disability claim stating that he was still able to work as a non-surgical cardiologist, he engaged the insurer in a lengthy battle, but he could…

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Turning Things Upside Down
When a major insurer sued our client for a refund of nearly $500,000 paid in benefits, we fought back and turned the entire case around.  A major disability insurer claimed, upon learning of our client's…

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“Functional Capacity” Tests Are A Phony

We took on the cause of a chiropractor who was facing the termination of his benefits because of his refusal to undergo a "Functional Capacity Evaluation".   We obtained a $1.2 million…

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The True Meaning of Total Disability

We obtained a $1.4 million settlement for a physician suffering from Parkinson's disease.  The insurer was willing to consider partial payments, claiming that the physician's ongoing work in his…

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Big ERISA Victory
Quadrino Schwartz prevailed in a lengthy legal battle for its client in an ERISA-governed long term disability litigation.  The client's benefits were terminated in 1996 after illness and injury rendered…

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Jury Rejects First Unum’s Tactics and Renders Total Disability Verdict

Jury Rejects First Unum’s Tactics and Renders Total Disability Verdict

Quadrino Schwartz has dealt a blow to First Unum and obtained a long-awaited trial victory for its client.…

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Fixing Errors and False Assumptions
Our client, a critical care physician in Michigan, suffered from substance abuse and addiction problems. After he was caught stealing drugs from his place of employment, he was fired from his job. …

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Quadrino Schwartz Obtains True Justice for Client in Battle Against First Unum

After an extended legal battle, Quadrino Schwartz obtained an important ruling from a New York appeals court against disability insurer First Unum.  The Quadrino Schwartz client kept the faith…

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Enforcing the Contract
Our success in an "own occupation" disability case forces insurance companies to evaluate a person's occupation based upon their duties and tasks, not based on the job title. Our client worked…

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Keeping Company Documents Under Cover
Our client, a CPA, suffered from Multiple Sclerosis and was receiving monthly payments according to the terms of his disability insurance policy. A number of errors on his tax returns and insurance applications…

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A Fast Solution
In less than three months of litigation, we forced an insurance company to honor its insurance contract. We represented an emergency room physician who could no longer tolerate the high stress work environment…

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Guilt By Association
Two insurance companies refused to pay a disabled chiropractor that was suffering from debilitating back injuries, due to a previous criminal conviction for insurance fraud in a completely unrelated matter.…

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Setting Precedent
Disability insurance companies all over the country have long claimed that they could force a high income individual to work for minimum wage under policies which contain an "any occupation"…

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Taming the ERISA Monster
Created to protect pension funds from unscrupulous employers, ERISA is a federal law that has become a favorite strategic weapon in the battle by insurance companies to deny policyholder claims. Simply…

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The Sting that Backfired
When a debilitating case of rheumatoid arthritis and injuries from a hit-and-run car accident combined to make a full day’s work impossible, a man filed a claim on a disability insurance policy he…

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Own Occupation Issues in Dramatic Jury Trial
Our client had been a successful licensed hypnotherapist for many years. He developed and was diagnosed as suffering from severe depression and other mental disorders. He applied for benefits under his…

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Never Give Up
Our client’s back problems were so severe that he could no longer perform his job in the cable television industry. A federal judge, relying on some of the more harsher aspects of ERISA, completely…

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Persistence Pays Off
Our client, an orthopedic surgeon, could no longer perform surgeries because he was legally blind in one eye and had diminished vision in his other eye. The insurance company stopped paying him when he…

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A Question of Timing
Some insurance companies will try any technique to deny a claim. Even when a disability seems to be obvious, insurance companies can often use other techniques to refuse to pay. One of clients was told…

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Even Lawyers Need Help
Our client, a former attorney with a national law firm, underwent Lasik eye surgery, which was a failure. His loss of eyesight was significant enough to disable him from performing his prior functions…

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