Widow of intoxicated driver denied life insurance benefits

An article in the Houston Press discuses the plight of a widow denied life insurance benefits because her husband was legally intoxicated when he was killed in a car accident.  Essentially, Cigna claims her husband's death was not an accident because it was foreseeable due to his drinking before driving.

Certainly society should discourage drunk driving. However, in my view, this is another example of an insurance company finding creative means of denying life insurance benefits.  Fortunately, the widow found an attorney willing to sue Cigna in federal court. The suit is in federal court because the husband had obtained the life insurance policy through his employer.

Beneficiaries denied or delayed benefits by the life insurance company should contact an experienced Texas Life Insurance attorney.

Texas Attorneys Handling Life Insurance Denial Litigation

Comments

[Chris Huntley]

Normally, I'd agree with you. For example, there are documented cases where insurance carriers have paid out a death benefit while committing a felony (specific case involving a man being shot while assaulting another individual) and cases that have paid out when the insured was driving drunk and caused an accident. But these are regular term or universal life policies. Had this man had a regular policy with Cigna, they would have paid without question. But his policy was an accidental policy. It only pays out when death is caused by an accident, so they're taking the stance that it's not an accident.

[Erwin Chua]

Hi,

I would think that drunk driving would be stipulated as part of the fine print that will disqualify the insuree, right?

Thanks,
Erwin