My father passed away several years ago and supposedly left me money from his life insurance.?
In this case, my father was remarried and has a wife and two adopted children who are grown. I suspect my step mother may have taken life insurance money meant for me and given it to her children. Would this be technically possible or would the insurance company distribute a death benefit to me directly?
Answers:
Insurance companies distribute to beneficaries directly unless they are minors or under some disability. So, it is doubtful that they got your money unless they forged your name to the check.
It all depends on who was beneficiary at the time of death.
But if you never claimed it, she may have petitioned the court, and showed she should have been the beneficiary.
.
The Ins co doesn't pay a dime unless someone files a claim.
Many times, when people remarry, they change their life insurance policies. Your father may have changed his to take care of his new wife and new children. I do know of a young man who had his entire military insurance made out to his exwife and 2 daughters. He met a woman, she moved in with him, he changed his insurance policy to leave HER as beneficiary...all in 6 weeks! The woman would not even help pay for his funeral. She took the hundreds of thousands of dollars and split. Nothing could be done about it. It is, also, possible, that your father had signed a power of attorney, and the new wife could have changed things. That is what my own half brother did. If it was a military insurance, call the military and ask. If it was with an insurance company that you know the name of, call and ask them. Money is often not claimed on many things. If you are someone who can chat with his widow....call and ask her if she knows when you will be getting you insurance money. That doesn't leave room for a 'no' answer, right off...it leaves room for her to have to think about that.
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