Kayle Flores v. Life Insurance Company of North America

I. INTRODUCTION

2 A bench trial on this matter was held on June 1, 2021. 3 This action arises out of a dispute regarding Defendant Life Insurance Company of 4 North America’s (“LINA”) decision to deny Plaintiff Kayle Flores’ (“Plaintiff” or “Ms. 5 Flores”) claim for disability benefits. Ms. Flores, a registered nurse, suffers from 6 Cushing’s Disease, a disorder that has the potential to cause debilitating symptoms 7 including muscle pain, joint pain, headaches, vertigo, fatigue, lightheadedness, insomnia, 8 brain fog and memory loss. Plaintiff argues that LINA wrongfully denied her claim for 9 short term disability (“STD”) benefits, and improperly failed to open and approve a claim 10 for long term disability (“LTD”) benefits because her Cushing’s Disease and 11 accompanying symptoms made it impossible for her to perform the material duties of her 12 job as a nurse. LINA contends that Plaintiff’s medical records contemporaneous to the date 13 she left work provide no explanation for why Plaintiff could not work in her job and that 14 Plaintiff should not receive LTD benefits since she failed to comply with the Policy’s 15 proof of loss and cooperation provisions. 16 The Court…