SAN FRANCISCO — A policy holder is suing North America Life, alleging breach of contract and violation of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.
Amy Glaza filed a complaint Sept. 11 in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California against Life Insurance Company of North America, alleging the defendant wrongfully denied the plaintiff's claim for disability.
According to the complaint, Glaza, who had worked as a sales consultant for the book distributor Baker & Taylor Inc. since 2009, became disabled due to a traumatic brain injury following a car crash in May 2015. The suit says she applied for disability benefits but was denied.
The plaintiff alleges North America Life initially approved her disability benefits but later terminated the benefits based on its claim that she no longer met the definition of disability according to the terms of the policy.
Glaza seeks pay benefits, plus interest, reinstatement, disgorgement, legal fees and any other relief the court deems just. She is represented by attorney Michelle Roberts Bartolic of Roberts Bartolic LLP in Alameda.
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California case number 4:17-cv-05254-DMR