Employee’s Equitable Interest in Boss’s Life Insurance Policy Trumps Boss’s Ability to Designate Wife as Beneficiary

In Shuttle v. Ligor (Mass. App. Ct., Nov. 20, 2015) the Massachusetts Court of Appeals held an employer was equitably estopped from changing the beneficiary of his life insurance policy from his employee to his wife, but the wife (who received the policy proceeds) owed nothing to the employee.

An employee of many years had been informed by her boss that she was designated as a beneficiary under his life insurance policy. The employee was told that her boss’s designation of her as beneficiary …

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Emotions Set Aside: Widow Denied Husband’s Life Insurance Benefits For Failure to Report Change in Health After Application

The case of Yafei Huang v. Life Insurance Co. of North America, in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit dealt with the denial of life insurance benefits — and is a strong reminder to consumers to read the fine print.

On November 12, 2009, Ping Liu elected basic life insurance coverage from Life Insurance Company of North America (LINA) through his employers ERISA plan in the amount of his yearly salary. Liu also elected to get supplemental coverage in the amount …

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