First Unum Owes Lawyer Fees in Pandemic Care Lapse Benefits Suit

First Unum Life Insurance Co. owes nearly $200,000 in attorneys’ fees to an insurance underwriter who successfully sued the company for terminating his disability benefits after he temporarily stopped receiving physical therapy treatments during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The US District Court for the Southern District of New York on Tuesday awarded the underwriter $187,081 in attorneys’ fees out of a requested $221,039. The reduced amount reflects a 10% cut to his lawyers’ hourly rates and certain reductions for duplicative work and tasks that could have been done by less experienced members of the legal team, the court said in an ...