Plaintiff can sue for lost life insurance benefits after botched enrollment

Trial Notebook

By Steven P. Garmisa

Hoey & Farina

Posted August 2, 2022 12:07 PM

For three years, Justin Polga, a physician employed by NCHMD Inc., a subsidiary of Naples, Fla.-based NCH Healthcare System, paid for $350,000 in supplemental life insurance under an ERISA plan, on top of $150,000 in basic coverage from Lincoln National Life Insurance Co. But because of an alleged blunder by NCHMD’s human resources department, Lincoln National refused to pay the additional amount when Polga died.The problem was that Polga never submitted a required form — allegedly because the HR department never gave it …

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