View our posts regarding a variety of legal topics related to Life Insurance Lawsuits
Social media can become relevant when a life insurance company investigates or denies a claim in New York. Photos, videos, comments, location tags, and other online activity may be compared with the insurance application, medical records, circumstances of death, or statements made during the claim process. If you are a beneficiary, the key question is […]
When two or more people claim the same life insurance benefits in New York, the insurer may pause payment while it reviews the policy, beneficiary records, claim submissions, and other documents. If the competing claims cannot be resolved, the insurer may use interpleader and ask a court to determine who is legally entitled to the […]
Yes, a life insurance company may deny a claim based on an alleged mistake in the application, but finding an incorrect or incomplete answer does not automatically make the denial valid. In New York, the central questions include whether the answer was false when it was given, whether the application asked a clear question, whether […]
A suspicious death investigation is a closer review of the insured person’s cause, manner, or circumstances of death. A life insurance company may request police records, medical examiner findings, an autopsy report, toxicology results, medical records, or an amended death certificate before deciding whether benefits are payable. An investigation does not mean that you did […]
New York does not set one universal outer deadline for every individual life insurance claim investigation. An insurer may need time to confirm coverage, verify the beneficiary, review the cause of death, obtain relevant records, or examine a possible policy defense. The insurer should still have a legitimate reason for the investigation, explain what remains […]
Yes, a life insurance company may deny a claim after reviewing the insured’s prescription drug history, but a medication record alone does not automatically justify a denial. In New York, the key questions usually concern what the application asked, whether the insured’s answer was false or incomplete, whether the information was material to underwriting, and […]
When a life insurance beneficiary cannot be located in New York, the insurer does not ordinarily keep the death benefit or automatically pay another relative. The insurer must review the policy, confirm the insured’s death, identify the beneficiary of record, and determine who is legally entitled to receive the proceeds. For policies and accounts covered […]
A death involving fireworks does not automatically give a life insurance company the right to deny benefits. For a standard life insurance policy, the central questions usually are whether the policy was active on the date of death, whether the claimant is the valid beneficiary, and whether a policy defense or exclusion applies. A separate […]
Yes. A life insurance policy can lapse while the policyholder is away on an extended summer trip if a required premium remains unpaid and the applicable grace period expires. Travel does not pause premium obligations when someone leaves New York, travels overseas, stays at a second home, or cannot receive ordinary mail. A missed payment […]
A New York life insurance beneficiary dispute can become more complicated when the policyholder owns a summer home, vacation property, rental cottage, lake house, or family retreat. These disputes often involve blended families, competing beneficiary forms, disputed property expectations, and questions about whether a late-life beneficiary change was valid. Trief Olk & Dror helps beneficiaries […]