An emergency room physician in Houston, Texas, secured her individual disability insurance benefits from MetLife after a cerebrospinal fluid leak left her mostly bedbound and unable to safely practice emergency medicine. Managing Attorney Edward Dabdoub filed a thorough initial claim on her behalf, and MetLife approved her benefits without requiring a denial or an appeal.
What to Know About This Case:
- A Houston emergency room physician developed a cerebrospinal fluid leak after years of worsening headaches, requiring emergency surgery and leaving her mostly bedbound and unable to remain upright for more than a few minutes at a time.
- Attorney Edward Dabdoub built a well-documented initial claim recognizing that our client’s individual, own-occupation disability policy covered her specific inability to practice emergency medicine, even though she continued working in a separate, fully remote role.
- Dabdoub Law Firm secured approval of our client’s disability insurance benefits directly from the initial filing, without the need for an appeal or litigation.
A Thriving Emergency Medicine Career Interrupted
Our client built a successful career as a locum tenens emergency room physician, working approximately 100 hours each month across emergency departments on an hourly basis. She had experienced headaches for years, a symptom many physicians might reasonably attribute to the demands of emergency medicine itself. In March 2026, those symptoms progressed sharply, to the point where she could no longer sit upright, and she was ultimately diagnosed with a cerebrospinal fluid leak, a serious condition in which fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord escapes through a tear in the protective membrane that contains it.
She underwent emergency surgery to repair the leak on April 6, 2026. Even after the procedure, her treating neurologist confirmed that the leak had not been verified as sealed, and she may require a second surgery. In the meantime, our client remained mostly bedbound, unable to stay upright for more than a few minutes without severe consequences. Her symptoms extended well beyond the headaches that first brought her to a doctor, including tinnitus, eye pain, difficulty focusing, balance problems, extreme fatigue, weakness and numbness in her right arm, neck and lower back pain that intensified to its highest severity with standing, sensitivity to light and sound, and difficulty swallowing. Her necessary medication regimen, including gabapentin and hydrocodone, added further brain fog to an already overwhelming set of limitations. Both our client and her treating physician agreed that she could no longer safely practice emergency medicine on patients in her condition.
Attorney Dabdoub Secured Benefits Tied to Her Specific Occupation
What makes this case particularly notable is the nature of our client’s coverage. She held an individual, own-occupation disability insurance policy, a type of coverage specifically designed to protect a policyholder’s ability to perform the material duties of their own specific occupation, rather than requiring them to be unable to work in any capacity whatsoever. This distinction mattered enormously in her situation, because our client continued working during this period, just not as an emergency room physician.
In addition to her emergency medicine practice, our client held a separate position as Medical Director of Virtual Medicine and Vice Chair of Innovative Research at Houston Methodist, an entirely remote role that offers flexible hours and can be performed from home, including from bed during her recovery. Attorney Edward Dabdoub recognized that her continued ability to perform this unrelated administrative and research role had no bearing on whether she could still safely perform the duties of her emergency medicine occupation specifically, which is what her own-occupation policy was designed to protect.
Attorney Dabdoub built the initial claim around that distinction, submitting a comprehensive package that included her formal claim documentation, a detailed attending physician’s statement from her treating neurologist, an employer’s statement, and medical records spanning her diagnosis and surgical treatment. By clearly establishing both the severity of her CSF leak and the specific physical demands of emergency medicine that her condition now made impossible, the claim gave MetLife everything it needed to approve her benefits directly from the initial submission, without requiring a denial, an appeal, or any further dispute.
Lawyers with Expertise in Disability Insurance Claims & Appeals
At Dabdoub Law Firm, disability insurance is all we do. We represent clients nationwide and have successfully handled disability insurance claims involving:
- Long-term disability denials and appeals
- Individual disability insurance claims
- Depression and anxiety disorders
- Cognitive impairment and memory loss
- Neurological conditions
- Medication side effects
We have taken on every major insurance company and have built a proven track record of success, including victories in federal court.
Because we specialize in long-term disability, our clients get the benefit of:
- Having an attorney who is an expert in long-term disability claims;
- Having an attorney who has experience with every major disability insurance company; and
- Being backed by a law firm that has a proven track record of winning tough disability lawsuits.
Need Help with a Disability Insurance Claim?
If your disability claim has been denied or you are struggling to navigate the claims process, we can help.
We help with:
- Filing a disability insurance claim
- Appealing denied or terminated long-term disability benefits
- Negotiating a lump-sum settlement
- Filing a lawsuit against your disability insurance company
We represent clients nationwide and charge no fees unless we win your case.
Call (800) 969-0488 or contact us online to speak with an experienced disability attorney. Pay no fees or costs unless you get paid.