Bonnett, Fairbourn, Friedman & Balint, P.C. has earned a national reputation for prosecuting claims on behalf of individuals based on fraud and unfair business practices in the insurance and healthcare industries. The Firm is pleased to announce that Edward O. Comitz, Esq. now heads its Health and Disability Insurance Practice Section, which focuses on litigating disability claims on behalf of professionals who have purchased private individual, group or employer-sponsored disability insurance policies. The Health and Disability Insurance Practice Section represents business, medical, dental and legal professionals in coverage disputes with their carriers throughout the United States, and such representation often includes:

• Legal advice and counseling on how to handle an Independent Medical Examination that may be required by the insured's disability insurance carrier

• Legal advice and counseling on what to do when the disability insurance carrier attempts to stop paying benefits based on surveillance records and other alleged investigations

• Eliminating the unequal bargaining position that exists between the insured and his or her insurance carrier when negotiating the terms and conditions of a lump-sum buyout

• Analyzing complex applications and policies, identifying coverage issues and protecting the insured's right to benefits

• Prosecuting cases where disability benefits have been rescinded based on alleged misrepresentations or non-disclosure in the original policy application

• Prosecuting cases where disability benefits have been denied based on the insurance carrier's insistence that the insured's subjective claims do not provide objective evidence of disability

• Protecting against unreasonable delays in processing claims

• Mediating and prosecuting claim denials, including cases amounting to fraud and the bad faith denial of benefits