Life, Disability, or Accidental Death Claim Denied?
Dorian Law Helps You Say:
“Not So Fast.”
Dorian Law represents people denied long-term disability benefits and families facing denied life insurance or accidental death claims. Based in California, we handle claims, appeals, litigation, and beneficiary disputes nationwide under ERISA and state insurance law.
Informed by five decades of combined insurance litigation experience, our Litigation Back Approach adapts to each case—building evidence and preserving arguments now to strengthen your options during the claim process and later in court.
Who we are:
At Dorian Law, we build lasting relationships with the people we represent. We understand how stressful it is to face a denied claim — especially after a serious diagnosis, disability, or loss. You deserve more than legal help. You deserve a partner.
We’re proud to offer:
◆ Experience that matters.
Our attorneys have reviewed thousands of life and long-term disability insurance claims.
◆ Personalized attention.
We take the time to truly listen, understand your unique situation, and build a plan that fits.
◆ Compassionate support.
You’re not a file number. We guide you with empathy and clarity, every step of the way.
◆ Relentless advocacy.
We don’t back down. When insurers say no, we say “Not So Fast.”
This is what we do.
Nothing else. No distractions.
When an illness or injury stops you from working, we help you secure the long-term disability benefits you're owed.
When life insurance is denied, delayed, or disputed, we fight to get you what your loved one intended you to receive.
When an accident takes your loved one from you and the insurer won’t pay, we fight to recover the benefits the policy promised.
When insurance or retirement benefits are tied up in a beneficiary dispute, we fight to get the funds released to you.
Claims, Appeals, Litigation, or Interpleader.
Individual and ERISA.
Why Clients Choose Dorian Law?
All we do are life, accidental death, and disability insurance claims.
So we do them exceptionally well.
Why clients choose Dorian Law.
Representative outcomes for Dorian Law clients, and published federal decisions our attorneys have secured against insurers.
Published decisions our attorneys have won
- Cobb v. Chevron Corp., No. 24-cv-03851 (N.D. Cal. 2025) — plan administrator could not reclassify a traumatic brain injury as “mental illness” to cap benefits at 24 months; judgment after trial.
- Waldron v. Unum Life Ins. Co. of America, 773 F. Supp. 3d 1169 (W.D. Wash. 2025) — trial judgment; the plan imposed no “objective evidence” requirement, and Unum could not raise a new denial rationale in litigation.
- Lee v. West Coast Life Ins. Co., 688 F.3d 1004 (9th Cir. 2012) — interpleader does not shield a negligent insurer from liability for the dispute it created.
- Holmgren v. Sun Life & Health Ins. Co., 354 F. Supp. 3d 1018 (N.D. Cal. 2018) — judgment for a tax director disabled by chronic pain; surveillance and social-media activity were not evidence of work capacity.
- Harris v. Life Ins. Co. of North America, 419 F. Supp. 3d 1169 (N.D. Cal. 2019) — fiduciary liable for failing to tell a terminally ill employee about conversion rights.
- Porco v. Prudential Ins. Co. of America, 682 F. Supp. 2d 1057 (C.D. Cal. 2010) — benefits reinstated with interest; surveillance did not outweigh the medical record.
Past results do not guarantee or predict future outcomes. Every case depends on its own facts and law. Full list on Brent Dorian Brehm’s profile.
“Brent Brehm accepted to help me when other lawyers rejected me. I am extremely pleased with the fast results Brent was able to achieve during the mediation process — my case was settled that day. With this settlement I have been able to purchase another home for my daughter and I.”— Laura, denied life insurance claim · Read the full review and others
Frequently asked questions
The consultation is free and confidential. Most disability, life insurance, and accidental death denial cases are handled on a contingency fee, meaning you pay no attorneys’ fees unless we recover benefits for you. In ERISA cases, a court may also order the insurer or plan to pay your attorneys’ fees separately; in Cobb v. Chevron Corp. (N.D. Cal. 2025) the fee award was $92,463.75 on top of the client’s judgment. We confirm the fee arrangement in writing before any work begins.
Yes. Dorian Law is based in Calabasas, California, and handles ERISA disability, life insurance, and accidental death claims nationwide. ERISA is federal law, so the same statute and the same federal courts govern employer-provided benefits in every state. Our attorneys have represented clients in California, Nevada, Arizona, Oregon, Washington, and Virginia, with trial judgments in all four federal districts of California and oral argument before the Ninth Circuit.
For employer-provided plans governed by ERISA, federal regulations give you at least 180 days from receipt of a disability denial to file an administrative appeal (29 C.F.R. § 2560.503-1), and at least 60 days for a life or accidental death denial. The deadline runs from the denial letter, not from when you decide to act. Missing it usually ends the claim, because a court will not hear an ERISA case unless the internal appeal was completed on time. Individual (non-ERISA) policies follow state law and the policy’s own terms. If you have a denial letter, call before the clock runs.
Our attorneys have published federal decisions or trial judgments against Unum, MetLife, Prudential, Sun Life, Lincoln National, Life Insurance Company of North America (now New York Life Group Benefit Solutions), Aetna, Anthem, Brighthouse, West Coast Life, and self-funded plans including Chevron and AT&T. The firm also handles claims against Hartford, Reliance Standard, Guardian, The Standard, Aflac, Securian, and FEGLI, among others. Insurer-specific pages are in the menu above.
Brent Dorian Brehm, the firm’s founder. He has practiced exclusively in disability, life, AD&D, and ERISA benefit disputes since 2006, has resolved more than 500 disputes with insurers, and personally argues the firm’s cases in federal court. Alan Kassan, a forty-year ERISA litigator, serves as Of Counsel. Rachel Eve Teicher manages operations and is usually the first person you’ll speak with.
It is the firm’s method for building a benefit claim or appeal with the eventual court case in mind. Because ERISA courts generally decide cases on the administrative record alone, Dorian Law begins by asking what a judge would need to see to reverse the denial, then builds that evidence and preserves those arguments during the claim and appeal rather than hoping to add them later. The Lincoln National ruling described above is an example: a position stated during the appeal became the basis for a favorable evidentiary ruling in federal court. Read more about the approach →
Tell us what happened.
We respond fast — usually within one business day. No obligation, no pressure, no cost. 100% confidential.
Dorian Law creates opportunities to get your benefits paid.
Creating opportunities starts before the lawsuit
During a Lincoln National disability appeal involving Meta, we identified an earlier disability approval and incorporated the supporting claim file by reference. We expressly asserted that disability was established, putting Lincoln on notice of that position and laying groundwork for litigation.
When the federal court later questioned the significance of the earlier approval, Dorian Law moved to admit the policy governing it. The court granted the motion, finding the policy necessary for an adequate review.
An appeal strategy became the foundation for a favorable evidentiary ruling.
Strategic. Thorough. Human.
