Bourhis Law Group: Judge Orders Insurance Company to Pay Celebrated Doctor $150,000
LOS ANGELES, April 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — A Massachusetts judge ordered UNUM Group and Paul Revere Life Insurance Company to pay Dr. Richard Constantino $150,000, ruling that the insurance giant failed to abide by the terms of its own policy.
This bifurcated jury and bench trial follows years of litigation between the Rochester-based doctor and the billion-dollar insurance company. Dr. Constantino filed the lawsuit after Paul Revere initially denied his long-term disability insurance claim.
After a unanimous jury verdict found in favor of Dr. Constantino, Hon. Michael D. Riccuiti, Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court, ruled that Paul Revere committed bad faith, issuing a stinging opinion on its disability insurance practices. The legal significance is that out of state plaintiffs, like Dr. Constantino, who’s a New York resident, can sue insurance companies headquartered in Massachusetts under Massachusetts law when they commit bad faith. For example, when the insurance company engages in misrepresentation, or fraud. This is new law that has significant consequences for Massachusetts insurance companies and for disabled claimants nationwide who want to sue in Massachusetts, due to its strong insurance bad faith laws.
Dr. Constantino was initially diagnosed with colon cancer in 1996, and the beloved doctor, who is celebrated throughout Rochester and is the former president of Rochester General Hospital, has had a long, difficult battle with various ailments. His health issues include cancer and chemotherapy/radiation to fight the cancer, severe nerve damage in his feet, multiple foot ulcers and infections, diabetes, amputation of multiple toes, the amputation of his leg, lumbar stenosis, renal failure, a kidney transplant and much more.
Paul Revere Life Insurance sold Dr. Constantino a long-term disability insurance policy, but as he began to make perfectly valid claims, the insurance company made it incredibly difficult for him to be approved for disability. Even after it approved his claim, Paul Revere actually sent him a letter asserting it had overpaid him and that he owed the billion-dollar insurance company money. During the investigation of this claims process, and in spite of the fact that he’d lost the use of both feet, Paul Revere drew out the claims process.
After a long series of back and forth between the doctor and the insurance company, Dr. Constantino’s coverage was first cut, then rejected outright. His appeals were also rejected. He had to borrow money and live at a substandard level because Paul Revere refused to pay him the money it agreed to pay. Ultimately, Dr. Constantino had to turn to the courts and spend several years in litigation before the matter was resolved. Still, even after reinstating his benefits, Paul Revere owed several years of interest on back payments which required the jury trial.
“There are hundreds of patients in Rochester, NY who adore Dr. Constantino for all the work he did helping them with their medical issues,” said attorney Matthew Bourhis. “When he attempted to make a claim on a policy he’d paid tens of thousands of dollars into, Paul Revere delayed, denied and defended his claims. After literally working until he couldn’t walk anymore, Paul Revere attempted to defraud my client. Thankfully, the judge saw through their tactics and awarded my client the money he was owed from Paul Revere and its parent UNUM Group, and set important legal precedent to protect disabled people in the future.”
The case is Richard Constantino v. UNUM Group and The Paul Revere Life Insurance Company, Suffolk Superior Court, Case No. 2084CV00944-BLS2.
About Bourhis Law Group
The Bourhis Law Group represents claimants in disability insurance, homeowners insurance and business insurance disputes, with an emphasis on bad faith cases. The firm is passionate about fighting for justice and helping policyholders.
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Based in New York, Stephen Freeman is a Senior Editor at Trending Insurance News. Previously he has worked for Forbes and The Huffington Post. Steven is a graduate of Risk Management at the University of New York.