Attorney B. Thomas Golden's Legal Cases

Social Security & Disability

Federal lawsuit against the Social Security Administration

Mar 25, 2015

OUTCOME: Case remanded - SSA must follow its own rules and regulations

We were forced to sue the Commissioner of Social Security in federal court for failing to follow its own rules and regulations. Yes, you did read that right - its own rules and regulations. Social ... Security makes the rules, and still has great difficulty complying. Social security is required to acknowledge and weigh the opinions of treating physicians using a step-by-step process they dreamed up. In this case, SSA wanted to take a shortcut and simply avoid explaining why it thought a treating physician who is in the best position to provide medical opinions was not reliable. We disagreed with SSA. The Appeals Council declined our request for review. We had to sue SSA in federal court to get a federal judge to order SSA to follow its own rules.

Social Security & Disability

RW v. Commissioner of Social Security Administration

Sep 25, 2014

OUTCOME: Remanded by federal court back to the Social Security Adminstration

An individual was improperly denied benefits by an Administrative Law Judge who failed to follow the law. The federal court agreed with our position, and remanded the case back to the Social Security ... Administration.

Social Security & Disability

MH v. Commissioner of the Social Security Administration

Feb 25, 2014

OUTCOME: Remanded from federal court back to SSA for additional proceedings in accordance with the law, rules, and regulations.

At an administrative hearing, the ALJ failed to follow the laws and rules relating to my client's disability. The Appeals Council declined to review the case. After we appealed this case to federal c ... ourt, the government's attorneys finally agreed that the decision of the ALJ was not supported by substantial evidence, and stipulated to a remand.

Appeals

LM v. Commissioner of SSA

Feb 25, 2014

OUTCOME: Case remanded from federal court to SSA for a new hearing

This case never should have been denied, but highlights how attention to detail is so important in disability cases. At the administrative hearing in this case, counsel indicated that the most powerfu ... l piece of medical evidence in the case was placed in the wrong part of the electronic folder by SSA. The ALJ acknowledged that the evidence was misfiled by SSA and then failed to consider this evidence when deciding the case. The Appeals Council declined to review the case, thereby declining to make the ALJ follow the rules. We sued the Commissioner of Social Security in federal court, exposing the blatant disregard for their own rules. The government's attorneys quickly realized they did not have a legal leg to stand on, agreeing that the case should be send back to SSA for a new hearing where the ALJ will have a chance to consider the evidence in an appropriate manner.

Litigation

Debt Collector Abuse

Jan 01, 2014

OUTCOME: Settled

An individual was being harassed by debt collectors at the individual's workplace. The debt collection company called after bring told several times not to call the workplace anymore. I was retained ... after a free consultation. After I got involved, the case was settled for a confidential amount.

B. Thomas Golden's Legal Cases (5)

Federal lawsuit against the Social Security Administration

RW v. Commissioner of Social Security Administration

MH v. Commissioner of the Social Security Administration

LM v. Commissioner of SSA

Debt Collector Abuse