Life Insurance Lawyer Missouri
Our Missouri life insurance lawyers are here to help.
In some cases, a lawyer may be able to fight the denial of a life insurance claim if there are legal grounds to do so. For example, if the policyholder intended to assign or transfer the policy to a specific beneficiary, but was prevented from doing so due to circumstances beyond their control, a lawyer may be able to argue that the policy should still be paid out to the intended beneficiary.
However, the specific circumstances of each case will determine whether or not legal action is appropriate, and the outcome of any legal proceedings will depend on the evidence presented and the interpretation of applicable laws and policies. If you believe that a life insurance claim has been wrongly denied due to a failure to properly assign or transfer the policy, you should consult with a lawyer who specializes in insurance law to discuss your options.
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Life Insurance Beneficiary Rules and Disputes Missouri
2023-2024 Life Insurance Claims in Missouri Recently Settled
- USAA COVID-19 death denial won $104,600.00
- Mass shooting denied life insurance claim $985,000.00
- Mutual Life coronavirus death rejection $55,000.00
- State Farm Life felony exclusion $11,000.00
- Loyal American misrepresentation claim $26,000.00
- Sentinel Life suicide denial gun discharge $77,000.00
- AD&D denial intoxication exclusion overturned $49,000.00
- Bestow Financial Life cancer in medical records $22,000.00
- Farmers New World lapsed the policy after death $95,000.00
- Colonial Penn interpleader lawsuit resolved $588,000.00
- Lincoln Benefit Life contestable period delay $37,000.00
- Globe alcohol related death issue $107,200.00
- Penn Treaty didn't get paperwork $39,300.00
- Denied AD&D claim heart attack death $51,000.00
- Iowa Farm competing beneficiaries won $95,000.00
- SGLI change of beneficiary after death $400,000.00
- Midland National interpleader lawsuit $256,300.00
- Unum irrevocable beneficiary dispute $515,750.00
- Missouri denied life insurance claim $3,500,000.00
- Denied Accidental Death & Dismemberment $390,800.00
- Denial of SGLI claim of ex-wife $402,488.00
- American Fidelity felony exclusion $221,900.00
- ERISA life insurance appeal successful $382,500.00
- Mutual Benefit several exclusions we won $85,000.00
- Transamerica material information missing $275,000.00
- Denial of FEGLI claim of girlfriend we won $228,900.00
- Foresters suicide clause settled $117,000.00
- AIG accidental death claim $504,000.00
- Missouri divorce and life insurance $700,000.00
- Reliance Standard autoerotic asphyxiation $219,000.00
- USAA material misrepresentation $104,623.00
- Missouri denied AD&D claim $1,000,000.00
- Reliable Life insurance claim denial $91,000.00
- American General contestable claim medical $101,400.00
Interpleader Lawyer Missouri
Missouri Life Insurance Law
If you’ve ever worked in or around the life insurance industry, you know that it is a profession rife with lawyers. Insurers have lawyers tasked with writing confusing and long winded policy language. They have other lawyers who are charged with dreaming up policy exclusions. Still other lawyers are employed for the sole purpose of concocting reasons for claim denials each time a claim for benefits is received.
There’s a good reason why life insurance companies pay so much money to employ so many lawyers. Denying valid claims is big business. The more they can deny claims by policy beneficiaries, the more money they keep in their own coffers and the happier investors and executives are at the end of the year.
Unfortunately, a lot of innocent people get hurt as a result of the insurance companies’ greed. Many times, life insurance policy proceeds are intended to give financial security to a loved one when a key wage earner passes away. Without those dollars, beneficiaries can lose their homes, possessions, and personal security.
Such was the case for one policy beneficiary in Florida who experienced a confounding and unbelievable claim denial. This article explores the facts of her case and serves as a cautionary tale in two respects. First, policyholders need to be exceedingly clear when designating beneficiaries to their life insurance policies. Second, beneficiaries need to be vigilant in retaining specialized lawyers to help contest bogus claim denials.
The cloud of love
This case involves a gentleman in his 60s named Harold. Harold had been in the mining industry for his entire life and had amassed a great deal of wealth. He had hundreds of friends in his Florida community and was well-liked by all. What Harold lacked, however, was his true love. Harold’s first wife, Margaret, had passed away when the couple was in their 30s and he had never remarried, even though he was terribly lonely.
In the fall of his 64th year, however, Harold met a younger woman who went by the name of Marie Rodriguez. Harold was instantly smitten by Marie, if not slightly amused by her name. Harold had a large extended family and had two distant nieces who were named Maria Rodriguez and Marie Rodriguez, respectively. In light of this, Harold almost immediately began calling his new girlfriend by the nickname “Merry.”
The romance between Harold and Merry was fast and furious. Within a few months’ time, Harold had made Merry a joint owner of several of his properties and had titled most of his cars and boats in her name. He also changed his $5 million life insurance policy to name “Merry Marie Rodriguez” as his sole beneficiary. Because the couple spent nearly every second of every day together, Merry was fully aware of the change Harold had made to his life insurance policy. She was flattered, of course, but hoped the policy wouldn’t be needed for many years to come.
In the flurry of new romance, it never occurred to Merry that she hadn’t ever told Harold her true name. In fact, she wasn’t very fond of the name and avoided using it for most of her adult life. Indeed, few people outside those involved in issuing her driver’s license and passport knew that her real name was Guadalupe Maria Elizabeth Rodriguez. She had simply gone by Marie or, as Harold called her, Merry.
An unexpected death and subsequent confusion
About a year after Merry and Harold started seeing each other, Harold passed away suddenly from a massive heart attack. The whole community was grief-stricken but Merry was particularly despondent. In fact, one of Harold’s lawyers had to remind her to make a claim against his life insurance policy. She finally got around to doing so some six months after his death. As part of the claim process, she had to submit a copy of her driver’s license in order to prove she was the intended beneficiary.
When the life insurance company received the form, its adjusters were quickly confused. The policy named Merry Marie Rodriquez as the beneficiary, yet the person claiming a right to the policy proceeds was named Guadalupe Maria Elizabeth Rodriguez. To complicate matters, the policyholder had two relatives whose names more closely aligned to Harold’s stated beneficiary. None of the women, however, had the formal name of “Merry.”
In light of all this, the insurance company simply denied Merry’s claim. Its stated reason for the denial was that there was no clear beneficiary designation in the policy. Stunned by the news, Merry reached out to Harold’s former attorney. He referred her to a lawyer who specialized in the denial of life insurance claims.
After reviewing the facts of the case and interviewing several witnesses, the attorney put together an evidence packet for the life insurance company. It included several letters Harold had written to “Merry,” pictures of the couple together, statements from witnesses familiar with Harold’s pet name for his girlfriend, and evidence of all Harold’s property transfers to Merry Marie Rodriguez. He also obtained a statement from Harold’s personal attorney regarding his understanding of Harold’s intentions. Merry’s attorney threatened to sue the insurance company if it did not pay Merry on the claim or if it attempted to pay the proceeds to one of Harold’s nieces.
All of the effort eventually paid off. They insurance company ended up paying the $5 million death benefit directly to Merry, just as Harold had intended. While the outcome of this case was a positive one, it does underscore the importance of naming a clear beneficiary in your life insurance paperwork. It also illustrates just how important a specialized lawyer can be for protecting your rights.
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As lawyers who practice solely in the area of life insurance claim denials, we see cases of unclear beneficiaries all the time. We know insurance companies use them as a poor excuse for denying valid claims and we don’t stand for it. If you are facing this or a similar situation, call us today. We’re here to help.