Life Insurance Beneficiary Dispute

Wolfe Wins Beneficiary Dispute in Life Insurance Case

Mark Wolfe of Boteler Richardson Wolfe recently won a life insurance case In the United States District Court of Alabama – Southern Division involving a dispute as to the rightful beneficiaries of the policy. Mark’s client was a contingent beneficiary under the policy. The heirs of the decedent tried to argue the changes made by the owner of the policy were not valid and therefore nullified Mark’s client as the contingent beneficiary. A contingent beneficiary is the person who receives the benefits if the primary beneficiary dies before the insured person dies. If a life insurance policy does not have a valid primary beneficiary or a valid contingent beneficiary, the life insurance proceeds go to the Estate of the deceased and the funds are distributed to the heirs of the Estate. In this case the heirs of the decedent attempted to overturn the contingent beneficiary designation of the policy so they could get the life insurance proceeds. Because their claim and the claim of Mark’s client were in conflict, the life insurance company paid the full life insurance proceeds into Court and asked the Court to determine who was legally entitled to the benefits. This is known as an Interpleader action. The heirs and their attorney failed to establish a legitimate basis for their allegations and the Court awarded the full benefits to Mark’s client.

If you believe your claim for life insurance benefits has been wrongfully denied or you have questions about life insurance benefits, please consider consulting with an experienced attorney who knows and understands this area of the law.  At Boteler Richardson Wolfe consultations are always free: call 251 410-7761 to speak directly with Mark Wolfe or send him an email: mark@brwlawyers.com (include “Life Insurance” in the subject line). The law firm handles life insurance claims in multi-states and has lawyers licensed to practice law in Alabama, Mississippi, Florida and Georgia.

 

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