A life insurance policy is purchased in order to meet the financial needs of family, relatives, or friends. After the policy owner passes away, disputes may arise over who should receive the death benefits. Often times, the disputes arise when there is a change to the named beneficiaries after the policy was purchased. For example, the policy owner might fail to properly complete a change of beneficiary form, leading to uncertainty over the intended beneficiaries, or an interested party may contend that the policy owner lacked the mental capacity to make changes to the beneficiaries at the time the changes were made. The insurance company cannot resolve this dispute on its own. All of the interested parties must agree to the disposition of the death benefits. When the interested parties cannot reach an agreement, the life insurance company files a lawsuit, typically called a Complaint in Interpleader. In the Complaint in Interpleader, the life insurance company will name the interested parties as defendants and allege that there are conflicting claims to the death benefits. The interested parties then assert their respective rights to the death benefits.

Joel Ewusiak represents interested parties who are named as defendants in a Complaint for Interpleader and seeking their rightful share of death benefits owed under a life insurance policy. Please contact Joel for legal assistance with your specific dispute.