SAN FRANCISCO – A Santa Cruz County woman alleges her long-term disability benefits were wrongfully denied.
Karen Hovekamp filed a complaint on Oct. 7 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California against Principal Life Insurance Co. and Does 1-10 citing the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.
According to the complaint, the plaintiff alleges that during the course of her employment with Avis Budget Group Inc., she was diagnosed with and suffers from pseudo tumor cerebri (PTC) and visual abnormalities. She alleges she had to stop working because of these ailments, filed a claim for long-term disability benefits and the benefits were approved. The suit states the benefits were later denied by the defendant.
The plaintiff holds Principal Life Insurance Co. and Does 1-10 responsible because the defendants allegedly violated the terms of the plan by denying her long-term disability benefits.
The plaintiff requests an order for the defendant to pay the benefits due, statutory penalties, attorneys' fees, costs of suit, and other relief as the court deems just. She is represented by David M. Lilienstein and Jessica M. Cho of DL Law Group in San Francisco.
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California Case number 3:16-cv-05815