For every “ironman” like Cal Ripken Jr. or Lou Gehrig, there are hundreds of major and minor league ballplayers who are out of the lineup on any given day because of injury or sickness. The annals of pro baseball are filled with countless baseball players who never did get back to the big leagues because of a disabling condition.
DarrasLaw is the top-rated disability law firm with proven national success representing professional athletes, including professional baseball players. We counsel ballplayers and team executives who are purchasing disability insurance, and we represent players and owners who meet resistance later when they need to make their disability claim.
MLB Disability Insurance Claims
Founding partner Frank Darras has represented MLB players in their prime who bought individual disability insurance protection in the event of a long-term or career-ending disability. We likewise represent top draft picks and minor league AA and AAA players who purchased disability coverage as a bridge until they signed a big league contract. Our firm also represents employers who have taken insurance hedges against disability or death of their star players.
Although the MLB has guaranteed contracts, the money doesn’t last forever. A permanent injury could equate to tens of millions of dollars in expected future salary. Despite the high premiums paid to protect those projected earnings, insurance companies routinely employ stall tactics to delay paying on large claims or invoke the fine print to deny disability compensation altogether.
DarrasLaw has the track record to stand up to insurers to demand good faith handling of claims for disability. These are complex contracts and both sides have a great deal at stake, but our lawyers have a stellar reputation for convincing insurers to make good on private disability claims and contract completion policies. We are willing to take any insurance carrier to trial if necessary.
Protecting Your Livelihood and Your Future
There is a long list of major league players whose promising careers were cut short or who had to leave the game in their prime because of career-ending conditions. To name just a few: Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax (arthritis in his elbow), All-Star outfielder Kirby Puckett (eye injury from a beaning), pitcher Dave Dravecky (cancerous tumor in his throwing arm), pitcher Tony Saunders (broken bone while pitching), slugger Albert Belle (osteoarthritis in his hips) and pitcher Nick Adenhart (killed by a drunk driver).
Albert Belle was in the second year of a new $65 million contract when he had to walk away from the sport. Hopefully he and his employer had the appropriate disability insurance protection.
Call our nationally recognized MLB disability attorneys at 800-898-7299 or send us an email. We offer free consultations on MLB long-term disability claims, as well as free policy analysis.
