An anesthesiologist who is addicted to drugs and alcohol, but has remained clean and sober for five years, is not totally disabled for insurance purposes, a federal court has ruled.
“It is my view from the evidence in this case that although there may well be cases where addicted and recovering anesthesiologists can never return to the O.R. and are therefore disabled within the policy language here, it is my view that Dr. Laucks is not one of them,” Middle District Judge A. Richard Caputo wrote in Laucks v. Provident Cos. , PICS Case No. 99-2096 (M.D. Pa. Oct. 28, 1999) Caputo, J. (26 pages).
