Life Insurance Claim Denials in Michigan

We often see that after you die, the life insurance company will scour your records to find some reason to deny your claim, however spurious. It is unfortunately common for a spouse to get a letter one day expressing condolences for the death of their loved one, only to get a letter the next day saying their insurance has been denied because your loved one checked the wrong box on an application. Or maybe they said they had never been treated for a specific ailment, forgetting that they received some minuscule treatment for it in the past. They call this an example of a material misrepresentation, and use it to void the entire policy.

Insurance providers may also cite reasons like policy exclusions, fraud, or administrative errors to justify denial.

For example, say you checked a box saying you are a smoker . Smoking had nothing to do with your death, but the fact that you said you smoked changes how they now look at the policy. They may decide they are not honoring your life insurance, meaning they are rescinding coverage. Rescission of coverage happens frequently in Michigan, and the JuneLaw Team is very familiar with this situation.

Let us help you navigate the process and secure the life insurance payout you and your loved ones are entitled to.

Life insurance beneficiary disputes often arise when a policyholder dies without updating their beneficiary. This often occurs in cases of divorce, which can result in unintended payouts to former spouses. Acting quickly is crucial to protect your rights.

Life insurance claims can be impacted to a great degree by the  Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, commonly known as ERISA (see ERISA: How it Impacts Your Claim). When your claim is denied and the individual who died was employed by a private industry (ie, not by the government or a church), sometimes the best way to seek justice is through ERISA.

In the case of life insurance claims, the insurance company may actually get an advantage through ERISA. They get to decide what the evidence is, and they also get what’s called discretion to determine whether you are eligible for the money or not. And that can be very troubling. ERISA causes many problems with these cases.

You will receive the best help by an attorney knowledgeable about both insurance claims and ERISA. This is not common.

If you find yourself in this situation, you are in excellent hands with the team at JuneLaw, where attorney Bob June and his staff have deep expertise and experience in both insurance claims and ERISA.