Denied claim result · March 30, 2026
$373,000 in Denied Life Insurance Claim Under Suicide Exclusion
Life Claim represented the widow of a man whose death was ruled a suicide. He was insured under three policies: group spouse coverage through each of two employer plans, with Reliance Standard and Equitable, and an individual policy with New York Life.
We handled all three claims. Reliance Standard approved its $100,000 life benefit within weeks, and New York Life paid its policy as well. Equitable, which insured him for $220,000 in basic and voluntary life coverage, denied the claim. It relied on its suicide exclusion, which bars payment if the insured dies by suicide within two years of the coverage taking effect.
We appealed and showed that the insurer had the dates wrong. His certificate of coverage took effect more than three years before his death, and the amount had never been increased, so no new two-year period had started. The suicide exclusion had expired long before he died, and Equitable had no basis to refuse payment.
Equitable reversed its denial and paid the full $220,000 plus interest. Across all three policies, our client recovered more than $373,000.
Every case is different, and past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
