Court Awards Over $117,000 in Attorneys’ Fees and Costs to Prevailing Plaintiff in ERISA LTD Case Against Unum

On September 16, 2025, in Mundrati v. Unum Life Insurance Company of America d/b/a Unum, No. CV 23-1860, 2025 WL 2653588 (W.D. Pa. Sept. 16, 2025), Magistrate Judge Patricia Dodge of the Western District of Pennsylvania granted Plaintiff Mundrati’s motion for attorneys’ fees and costs following her successful ERISA long-term disability (“LTD”) benefits case against Unum Life Insurance Company of America (“Unum”). This marks another significant fee award entered against Unum this month in a separate case where a federal court ordered Unum to pay over $314,000 in attorneys’ fees and more than $740,000 in benefits. See Wessberg v. Unum Life Insurance Company of America, No. CV 22-94 (JRT/DLM), 2025 WL 2624369 (D. Minn. Sept. 11, 2025), which we wrote about here.

Mundrati, a physiatrist specializing in interventional spine care, filed suit after Unum denied her LTD claim. Earlier this year, the court granted her summary judgment, finding Unum acted arbitrarily and capriciously in multiple respects: by misclassifying her occupation, refusing to consider relevant medical records after the elimination period, and relying on problematic paper reviews rather than an independent medical exam. The court also noted Unum’s reliance on a doctor with a track record of biased reviews favorable to insurers.

Following this ruling, Mundrati moved for an award of attorneys’ fees and costs under ERISA § 502(g)(1). Unum opposed, arguing the hourly rates and hours claimed were excessive and challenging some categories of time billed.

Applying the Third Circuit’s Ursic factors, the court concluded that an award of fees was warranted. Unum’s arbitrary and capricious denial demonstrated culpability, and a fee award would serve as a deterrent against similar conduct in future cases. The decision also benefits plan participants more broadly by reinforcing that insurers must fairly evaluate medical records and consider evidence beyond the elimination period. The court further emphasized that Plaintiff’s positions prevailed on nearly every substantive point.

Turning to the amount, the court carefully reviewed the requested $126,648.50 in fees. It approved lead counsel Marc Snyder’s requested hourly rate of $625, recognizing his 25 years of ERISA experience. However, it slightly reduced associate Christopher Harris’s hourly rate from $415 to $400 and trimmed some hours deemed duplicative or excessive, particularly related to oral argument preparation and attendance at mediation. After these adjustments, the court awarded $117,297.50 in attorneys’ fees.

On costs, the court approved reimbursement of $1,487.50, including filing fees, pro hac vice admission fees, and mediation expenses. Importantly, the court rejected Unum’s argument that mediation fees were non-recoverable, finding them a reasonable and necessary litigation expense.

In total, Unum was ordered to pay $118,785 in attorneys’ fees and costs to the prevailing plaintiff.

Coupled with the nearly back-to-back fee award against Unum earlier this month, this case underscores a clear judicial trend: courts are increasingly scrutinizing Unum’s claims practices and ensuring that ERISA claimants are not left to shoulder the heavy burden of litigation on their own.