ST. LOUIS — A St. Louis woman is suing Liberty Life Assurance Co. of Boston, her former employer, citing alleged violation of Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).
Elizabeth R. Pinkas filed a complaint on Feb. 7 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri against Liberty Life Assurance Co. alleging that the plan administrator violated ERISA through non-payment of plan benefits.
According to the complaint, Pinkas alleges that on July 27, she suffered loss of her disability benefits after she was notified by the defendant that previously approved plan benefits were terminated. The plan ended despite diagnoses and symptoms that rendered her disabled within the meaning of the plan and confirmation of total disability from her treating physician and spine surgeon, the complaint states. Pinkas holds Liberty Life Assurance Co. responsible because the defendant allegedly based its denial of benefits from its employed nurse and hired third-party physician, who assessed her case briefly and unreasonably and did not examine or clinically observe her.
Pinkas requests a trial by jury and seeks judgment against the defendant, declaratory relief, interest, costs of action, attorney's fees and further relief as may be deemed just. She is represented by Jonathan E. Shook of Shook & Johnson PLLC in St. Louis.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri Case number 17-cv-00493