Insurance company investigating Heath Ledger's death
ReliaStar Life Insurance Co., which wrote Heath Ledger's $10-million life insurance policy just six months before his death, is being sued over failure to promptly pay that claim.
According to TMZ, the lawsuit says that ReliaStar is acting in bad faith by launching its own investigation into the actor's death. Apparently, they don't buy the New York City medical examiner's conclusion that Heath's death was an accidental overdose.
The suit was filed by a trustee for Matilda, 2, Ledger's daughter with actress Michelle Williams. The money would go into a trust set up for Matilda.
TMZ says lawyers for Matilda claim this is all a time-wasting ruse to keep from having to pay the $10 million.
More from TMZ: "The company alleges in its answer to the lawsuit, 'ReliaStar is entitled to investigate Plaintiff's claim to determine if the "Suicide" provision is applicable.' "
What a shock! An insurance company that doesn't want to pay on a policy and is trying to prove it was a suicide so they don't have to pay! Imagine that!
ReliaStar's lawyers are going to try to take depositions from Mary-Kate Olsen, as well as that mysterious masseuse who made the calls to her from Ledger's apartment, costars on his last film, "The Dark Knight," his agents, doctors, psychiatrists etc.
In other words, this could take years.
Photos: WireImage
In every life insurance policy, there is a two year period where the payment of the death benefit proceeds can be contested. If Mr. Ledger's policy had been taken over two years before his death, the claim would have been paid already. The insurance company is within its rights under the contract to review the case. There is enough suspicion that this may have been a suicide, in which NO benefits would be payable.
There need to be mandatory provisions in insurance company policies to pay penalty interest for payout delays.
I thought the cause of death had already been determined by the coroner? If they disagreed with the coroner's findings, they should have disagreed with the findings or sued the coroner within 30 or 90 days of the determination, not many months after the case was closed.
Having experienced insurance company delays of nearly 5 years, there is little incentive for them to pay -- especially since statistically, if they drag it out enough years, there's a fair chance they won't have to pay -- and if they do, they got to keep it in their interest-earning or investment account the entire time.
It also happens, that rather than pay what they owe, insurers will offer 'settlement' payouts at significant discounts on what they owe -- in exchange for "prompt" settlement or payment.
It's a total ripoff.
Why write an insurance policy that high if you are not willing to pay it in the event the unthinkable happens? The medical examiner isn't being paid to lie about his findings on the accidental overdose. Bringing this to court will only deplete the trust fund that will be setup because of the outrageous court and lawyer fees. I don't think Heath really would have taken his life knowing there was Matilda to take care of and his want to see her grow up into a woman.
Don't most life insurance policies ask about drug use in their applications? Wonder what Ledger put down?
I'd love to see all customers with policies with this company to cancel those policies and move them elsewhere. Granted that will never happen, but if enough people did that, it might cost them enough to make an impression and let them and all other insurance companies know how disgusted that we, as consumers, are at their unwillingness to live up to the contracts we have with them.
His death was a suicide, take a look at what he was taking at the time of his death. Those were some serious drugs and he wasn't telling all the doctors he was seeing what he was taking. Heath killed himself, hollywood doesn't want to admit it but the rest of america (and his insurance company) know what was really going on
it is not unusual for the press to not know what they are talking about. why even speculate....first we need to know the facts. date of issue of the policy (6 months - 1 yr if suicide, no pay), within 2 years, if material misstatement (like denying obvious illegal drug use) voids contract and results in a mere reimbursement of premiums paid. that is the contract. both sides have to live with the contract language if it goes to court.
Damn the insurance company and those who are heartless to think that Heath took his own life! Shame on you!
SHAME on the insurance company and those who think Heath took his own life!
The insurer is within their rights to consider suicide which would deny a payout. Remember the day after Ledger died that nice man from 'Fox-News' - John Gibson (who is right about most things) reminded us that Ledger had recently been been talking about DEATH.
Yeah - it was suicide for SURE!