Menu

Bourhis Law Group

Exclusive Representation for Long Term Disability and Catastrophic Loss Policyholders

Free Insurance Case Review
(800) 264-2082
Toll-Free Nationwide

  • Home
  • Firm
    • Why Choosing Bourhis Law Group is Your Best Strategy
    • Ray Bourhis
    • Matthew Bourhis
    • Suzanne McCafferty
    • Lawrence (Larry) Mann
    • Ann Marie Do
  • Long Term Disability Claims
    • Is Your Denial Bad Faith?
    • Disability Insurance FAQs
      • When To Contact A Long Term Disability Attorney
    • Dealing with a Long Term Disability Claim
      • Do You Need Help with Your Long Term Disability Benefits Claim?
    • Ten Things Your Insurance Company May Not Want You to Know
    • Own Occupation Disability Insurance
    • Total Disability vs. Residual Disability
    • Social Security Set-Offs
    • Long Term Disability Buyouts
    • Recovering Long Term Disability Benefits, Costs, and Damages
    • Underpayment Offers from Long-Term Disability Insurance Companies
  • LTD Policies
    • Disability Insurance Definitions
    • Top Ten Reasons for LTD Insurance Denial
    • Navigating the Insurance Claim Maze
    • So You Thought You Had Disability Insurance
    • ERISA Warning
    • Insurance Survival Tips
      • Purchasing Disability Insurance Checklist
      • What To Look For/Look Out For : Disability Insurance
      • How to Talk Back to Your Insurance Company
      • Corresponding with Your Insurance Company
      • Your Right to Obtain a Copy of Your Policy
      • CIGNA
  • ERISA
    • ERISA Warning
    • ERISA – Athletes
  • Case Studies
    • Medical Conditions
      • Fibromyalgia
      • Spinal/Back Injury
      • Psychiatric Conditions
      • Chronic Fatigue
      • Bipolar – Depression
      • Cancer
      • Chronic Pain Syndrome (CPS)
      • Emphysema – COPD
      • Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)
      • Epilepsy
      • Auto Immune – AIDS
      • Brain Injury – Head Injury (TBI)
      • Heart Disease
      • Migraine Headache
      • Tinnitis – Menniere’s Disease
  • Blog
  • News
  • Videos
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Library / In the News / Crusading lawyers lead charge against UnumProvident

Crusading lawyers lead charge against UnumProvident

MICHAEL LIEDTKE
Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO – Disability insurer UnumProvident Corp. has tangled with plenty of pesky lawyers in the last five years. Few, if any, have been as tenacious – or effective – as Ray Bourhis and his partner.

In the past two years, the two San Francisco lawyers have won a pair of seven-figure judgments against UnumProvident, and recently convinced a federal judge that the company’s business practices broke California laws.

The attorneys’ other victories are more difficult to quantify because they have occurred in confidential settlements paid to UnumProvident policyholders who alleged the company wrongfully withheld disability payments after they suffered debilitating injuries or sicknesses.

“It’s getting to the point that when we call them up with a case, they want to settle right away,” Wolfson said.

UnumProvident spokesman Tom White declined to comment about Ray Bourhis. The company believes policyholder attorneys, in general, have unfairly demonized UnumProvident.

Bourhis said he is doing everything he can to expose UnumProvident’s business practices, which he characterizes as the worst abuses he has seen during three decades of specializing in insurance law.

The alleged misconduct provided fodder for a book Bourhis has written about UnumProvident. He is still looking for a publisher for the book, which he plans to call “Infectious Greed.”

The ferocity of Bourhis’ crusade flows from his long-running desire to be an industry watchdog. Bourhis couldn’t persuade California voters to elect him to the role, losing badly in a 1990 bid to become the state’s insurance commissioner.

Undeterred, Bourhis convinced San Francisco Superior Court Judge John Dearman in 1991 to appoint him “special master” for California’s Department of Insurance. In this unpaid job, Bourhis oversees how regulators handle consumer complaints.

Despite a 1998 attempt by the California Department of Insurance to dump him, Bourhis has kept the job, much to the dismay of insurers.

“I commend him for his energy and enthusiasm, but he has never taken a very balanced approach to insurance issues,” said Dan Dunmoyer, president of the Personal Insurance Federation, a trade group.

Bourhis is unapologetic. “I’m an insurance nerd,” he said, “and I have always hated what insurance companies do to people.”

Request Consultation

PROVEN RESULTS
Call today

Toll Free: (800) 264-2082
Local: (415) 392-4660

How We Assist Our Clients

  • Choosing a Long Term Disability Lawyer
  • Beware of the “Partial” Long-Term Disability Claim
  • Own Occupancy Insurance Policies
  • LTD Help for Doctors, Dentists and Surgeons
  • Are you a Nurse with a Long-Term Disability?
  • What We Do for Disabled Professionals
  • ATTENTION INTEL EMPLOYEES
  • ERISA Disability Insurance Purchased at the Workplace
  • When to Contact Our Law Firm

1808 Wedemeyer St Suite 214, San Francisco, CA 94129
Local: (415) 392-4660 | Fax: (415) 421-0259 | Toll-Free Nationwide: (800) 264-2082

Copyright © Bourhis Law Group, Long Term Disability, Insurance Law and Policyholder Representation
Site Index | Privacy Policy | Disclaimer