Manulife found GUILTY of breaching privacy.

On January 31, 2020, the Alberta Information and Privacy Commissioner found Manulife guilty of breaching of disclosing a worker’s personal information to her employer’s agent without her consent. https://www.canlii.org/en/ab/aboipc/doc/2020/2020canlii9595/2020canlii9595.html?resultIndex=1

Suing an insurance company – the basic steps.

The decision to sue your insurer is not one you have taken lightly. If you are considering legal action, it is likely because you have tried everything in your power to get your long-term disability benefits, but the insurance company continues to deny your claim. The first step to successfully correcting the insurance company’s decision is to find an experienced insurance denial lawyer with a track record of success fighting against your insurance company. It is critical to do this as soon as you are denied by the insurance company so you do not miss any important deadlines. At a time where...

Suicide and life insurance benefits.

Life insurance normally pays out when the policyholder dies, unless the circumstance of the death fall under a particular exclusion clearly specified in the policy. Life insurance provides a financial safety net that can last for decades. One concern that some insurance shoppers have is that an insurance company won’t pay the death benefit if the policyholder dies. This is usually unfounded as life insurance policies almost always pay out; there are even protections in place if an insurance company goes bankrupt. But are there scenarios where life insurance won’t pay out? For example, does...

Life Insurance

LTD Plan Administrator punished directly for bad faith claims handling.

On October 15, 2019, the BC Supreme Court ordered that an administrator of a long-term disability plan pay damages for mental distress, and punitive damages for its bad faith handling of a disability claim covered by a collective agreement. In Greig v. Desjardins Financial Security Life Assurance Co., 2019 BCSC 1758, Dennis Greig, who had suffered injuries in a motor vehicle accident, was re-injured on the job and was unable to return to work. He successfully applied for LTD benefits but his benefits were later suspended for 17 months before being re-instated. When Mr. Greig’s benefits were...