Roberts Disability Law, P.C.

Roberts Disability Law, P.C. At Roberts Disability Law, P.C., we’re passionate about fighting for the underdog.

ERISA disability insurance cases can be frustrating for all involved, so we’re dedicated to providing top-tier legal services for our clients.

Have you checked who gets your life insurance?A recent federal court decision is a powerful reminder: when it comes to y...
06/15/2026

Have you checked who gets your life insurance?

A recent federal court decision is a powerful reminder: when it comes to your employer-provided life insurance, what you meant to do doesn't count. What's on file does.

In this case, a man told people he wanted to change who would receive his life insurance benefits. He even logged into his benefits system. But he never finished the change. After he passed away, the court ruled that the benefits had to go to the person still officially listed, no matter what he had said he intended.

These employer benefit plans are governed by a federal law called ERISA, and the rules are strict. The lesson is simple: log in, check your beneficiary, and make sure your wishes are actually on record.

If your or a loved one's ERISA life insurance or disability claim has been denied or disputed, Roberts Disability Law, P.C. helps people understand their rights.

https://robertsdisability.com/intent-is-not-enough-kentucky-federal-court-holds-erisa-life-insurance-benefits-go-to-named-beneficiary-absent-substantial-compliance-with-a-change/

Can You Change a Life Insurance Beneficiary Over the Phone?A federal court in Louisiana recently said yes, even when the...
06/10/2026

Can You Change a Life Insurance Beneficiary Over the Phone?

A federal court in Louisiana recently said yes, even when the plan's paperwork said the change had to be made in writing.

In this ERISA case, an insured called her benefits center and named her caregiver as the beneficiary of her group life insurance, confirming the change verbally. After she passed away, her daughter challenged it. The court ruled the phone change counted because the insured clearly intended it and took real steps to make it happen.

ERISA cases involving group life insurance and disability benefits are complicated, and the rules about what counts and what doesn't are not always obvious. If your claim under an employer-provided plan has been denied or disputed, the attorneys at Roberts Disability Law, P.C. focus on ERISA matters and can help you understand your options.

Read more: https://robertsdisability.com/when-a-phone-call-beats-the-plans-writing-requirement-a-louisiana-court-applies-substantial-compliance-to-uphold-a-telephonic-erisa-beneficiary-change/

A Win Worth Understanding: When Your Insurer Changes Its StoryIf your health plan denies a procedure, it has to tell you...
06/07/2026

A Win Worth Understanding: When Your Insurer Changes Its Story

If your health plan denies a procedure, it has to tell you exactly which plan rule it's relying on. It can't deny you for one reason and then defend that denial in court with a completely different one.

That's the heart of a recent Ninth Circuit decision. An insurer denied a spinal surgery based only on its own internal policy, never pointing to the actual plan document that governed the claim. When the case reached the appeals court, the judges said the insurer couldn't switch its reasoning after the fact. The denial was reversed and sent back for a proper review.

This doesn't mean the surgery is automatically covered now. But it does mean the insurer has to do its job correctly this time. If your group health or disability claim was denied and the explanation never quite added up, the details matter, and they can be challenged.

https://robertsdisability.com/ninth-circuit-an-erisa-administrator-cannot-rescue-a-benefits-denial-with-a-plan-provision-it-never-cited/

Denied a Life Insurance Claim After a Loved One Passed? You May Still Have Options.A grieving widow was denied a $480,00...
06/03/2026

Denied a Life Insurance Claim After a Loved One Passed? You May Still Have Options.

A grieving widow was denied a $480,000 life insurance benefit after her husband enrolled in coverage through his job, worked full-time, then collapsed and died just weeks later. The insurance company said he had not been employed long enough to qualify.

A Texas federal court agreed the insurer's reading of the policy was a stretch, but said the law gave the insurer room to make it. Here is the important part: the court did not close the door. It gave her the chance to come back with more evidence, including whether the insurer treated similar claims differently.

ERISA cases like this turn on fine print most people never see. If your or a loved one's claim was denied, an experienced ERISA attorney can review the plan and your options. At Roberts Disability Law, P.C., this is what we do every day.

Read more: https://robertsdisability.com/erisa-life-insurance-denial-upheld-on-a-reading-the-court-called-low-on-the-reasonableness-scale/

When the Insurance Company Trusts Its Own Doctor Over YoursA federal court in Massachusetts recently sided with Sun Life...
06/02/2026

When the Insurance Company Trusts Its Own Doctor Over Yours

A federal court in Massachusetts recently sided with Sun Life after it cut off a woman's long-term disability benefits. She had fibromyalgia, nerve pain, and cognitive problems, and even Social Security found her disabled.

So why did she lose? Because her plan gave Sun Life the power to make the call, the court only had to ask whether the decision was "reasonable," not whether it was right. Sun Life leaned on its own file-reviewing doctors, who pointed to exams showing normal strength and sensation, and that was enough.

It's a hard outcome, and it shows why what goes into your claim file early matters so much. If your ERISA disability claim has been denied or terminated, the team at Roberts Disability Law helps people navigate exactly these situations.

Read more: https://robertsdisability.com/massachusetts-court-upholds-sun-lifes-erisa-disability-denial-under-the-deferential-abuse-of-discretion-standard/

Denied Disability Benefits? Your Records Tell the StoryA federal court in Texas recently sided with an insurance company...
06/01/2026

Denied Disability Benefits? Your Records Tell the Story

A federal court in Texas recently sided with an insurance company that denied long-term disability benefits to an engineer who said a condition causing him to lose consciousness kept him from working.

The court pointed to a few things: he had kept working for years after his diagnosis, his medical records did not show the emergency visits or follow-up care you would expect with the symptoms he described, and what he reported being able to do changed over time.

If your group disability benefits have been denied, what is in your medical file can make or break your claim. At Roberts Disability Law, P.C., we help people understand their rights and fight ERISA denials.

Read more: https://robertsdisability.com/texas-court-upholds-unums-denial-of-erisa-disability-benefits-for-engineer-with-syncope/

Your Claim Was "Accidental" but Still Denied? Here's How That Happens.A federal appeals court recently upheld an insuran...
05/30/2026

Your Claim Was "Accidental" but Still Denied? Here's How That Happens.

A federal appeals court recently upheld an insurance company's denial of an accidental death benefit claim, even after the insurer agreed the death was an accident. The reason: the policy had an exclusion for losses connected to the treatment of an illness, and the court found that exclusion applied.

Insurance policies are full of fine print like this, and exclusions can defeat a claim that otherwise seems straightforward. If you or a loved one have had an ERISA life or disability claim denied, the wording of your specific plan matters enormously.

At Roberts Disability Law, we read that fine print for a living and help families understand their options.

Read more: https://robertsdisability.com/eighth-circuit-upholds-add-denial-holding-home-dialysis-treatment-contributed-to-insureds-death-within-the-plans-illness-treatment-exclusion/

Is Your Life Insurance Policy Actually Covered by ERISA? A Recent Court Decision Shows Why It MattersIf you have life in...
05/29/2026

Is Your Life Insurance Policy Actually Covered by ERISA? A Recent Court Decision Shows Why It Matters

If you have life insurance, disability insurance, or health coverage through your job, those benefits are usually governed by a federal law called ERISA. ERISA gives you important rights when a claim is denied, including the right to appeal and the right to sue in federal court.

But not every employer-related insurance policy qualifies as an ERISA plan. A recent federal court decision in Texas shows where the line is drawn. The case involved a $2 million life insurance policy that an individual purchased while running his own small professional corporation. Even though the business may have paid the premiums, the court ruled the policy was not covered by ERISA because it insured only the owner himself and did not cover any other employees. Under federal regulations, policies that cover only sole owners fall outside ERISA's reach.

Why does this matter? Because whether ERISA applies determines what rights you have, what court your claim is heard in, and what remedies are available if a claim is wrongly denied. The answer is not always obvious.

If your life insurance, long-term disability, or other benefits claim has been denied, Roberts Disability Law can help you understand whether ERISA applies and what your options are.

Read more: https://robertsdisability.com/when-a-life-insurance-policy-falls-outside-erisa-texas-district-court-applies-the-sole-owner-exception-and-resolves-beneficiary-dispute-under-state-law/

⚖️ Once You Settle, You're SettledA federal court in Tennessee just ruled that a person who reached a settlement with Un...
05/22/2026

⚖️ Once You Settle, You're Settled

A federal court in Tennessee just ruled that a person who reached a settlement with Unum at mediation could not back out, even though he had not yet signed the final paperwork.

The judge looked at what the parties actually did after mediation. The plaintiff's lawyer sent payment instructions. The plaintiff told the court the case had settled. Months went by. Then the plaintiff decided he did not like some of the terms and refused to sign. The court said it was too late. A deal is a deal.

The court also ordered the plaintiff to pay Unum's attorney fees for forcing the issue.

If you are dealing with an ERISA disability settlement or denied benefits, the details matter from the very first conversation. At Roberts Disability Law, we represent claimants facing insurance companies like Unum every day.

Read more:https://robertsdisability.com/when-we-settled-means-settled-eastern-district-of-tennessee-enforces-mediated-erisa-settlement-and-awards-unum-its-fees/

Many drink coffee to get going in the morning. At Roberts Disability Law, we drink… Insurance Company Tears. 
05/19/2026

Many drink coffee to get going in the morning.
At Roberts Disability Law, we drink…
Insurance Company Tears. 

Address

66 Franklin Street, Suite 300
Oakland, CA
94607

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 5pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 5pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 5pm
Thursday 8:30am - 5pm
Friday 8:30am - 5pm

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+15102302090

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