exclusions

Many life insurance policies provide for benefits, in addition to the face amount of the policies, when an insured dies as a result of an accident. These extra benefits can be significant, as many policies will pay twice the face amount of the policy, where the insured’s death is by accident.

While insurance companies market accidental death benefits as a way to provide families and dependents with extra security, many policies include clauses (or exclusions) that allow them to deny coverage for these benefits even if the insured died of an accident. As a result, claims for accidental death benefits can be complex and fact-intensive.

For example, in Duncan v. Minnesota Life Ins. Co. (S.D. Ohio 2020), the Decedent was insured under a policy issued by Minnesota Life. While hospitalized for complications of leukemia, he stood up from his wheelchair and fell to the floor. He died later that day at the age of 65.

The Decedent’s death certificate stated that the immediate cause of death was a subdural hematoma, while describing the manner of death as “accidental.”

A serious and important question in a life insurance policy case can be: Is a death caused by a drug overdose an “accident” or is it an intentional act that can permit an insurer to deny benefits under the terms of the policy?

Courts in the Sixth Circuit have wrestled with this issue for decades, but they now appear to agree that, barring evidence that the insured intended to commit suicide, a drug overdose should be deemed an accident, and not an intentional act. (Federal district courts in Tennessee are in the Sixth Circuit)

In Andrus v. AIG Life Ins. Co., (N.D. Ohio 2005), the Plaintiff was the beneficiary of her husband’s life insurance policy. The life insurance policy was governed by ERISA. The Plaintiff was denied benefits after her husband overdosed on prescription medication, including OxyContin. Under the terms of the life insurance policy, coverage was available only in the event her husband’s death was an accident. The policy did not define the term “accident;” however, it excluded coverage from death caused by intentionally self-inflicted and suicidal acts.

Articles Tagged with exclusions

How Insurers Rely on Exclusions to Deny Coverage Under Accidental Death and Dismemberment Policies

Can Life Insurance Companies Deny Benefits If the Insured Died of a Drug Overdose?