- Amount
- $432,000 (group life benefits awarded to our client, plus interest)
- Counsel
- Interpleader Law
- Result for
- The insured's mother, the contingent beneficiary, our client
- Case
- Symetra Life Insurance Co. v. Broderick
- Court
- U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas
- Docket
- No. 1:21-cv-00721-RP
- Decided
- July 27, 2022
- Issue
- Whether the remaining claimant takes the fund when a beneficiary accused of killing the insured defaults
The insured’s husband was the primary beneficiary of her group life coverage, and her mother was the contingent beneficiary. According to the magistrate judge’s report, the husband killed the insured and was in prison. The insurer filed an interpleader, explaining that a beneficiary cannot collect a death benefit by killing the insured.
We represented the mother. She answered, and the husband never responded. Because only one claimant had answered, the court did not need to decide the slayer question. It adopted the recommendation, entered a take-nothing default judgment against the husband, and directed the registry funds, with interest, to our client.
What it shows. A beneficiary accused of killing the insured who does not answer loses by default, and the family does not have to try the slayer case to collect.
Read the court's order
- Report and recommendation (May 2, 2022) (PDF)
- Order adopting the recommendation (July 27, 2022) (PDF)
- Default judgment (July 27, 2022) (PDF)
- Final judgment (Oct. 11, 2022), citing the amended order of interpleader disbursement, ECF No. 28 (Aug. 15, 2022) (PDF)
For a detailed legal summary of this decision, see interpleader.com's decisions library.
Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. This summary describes the court's ruling; it is not legal advice about any other case.
Back to all results · Interpleader lawsuits · Beneficiary disputes