Q: OK so My Husband passed Sept 2023 and I received a letter from Farmers Insurance informing me of a Life Insurance Policy
an annuity policy in which i was the beneficiary - they sent me a packet of papers to fill out which I did and upon speaking to them many times all the way up to a supervisor and basically was beaten down and blown off repeatedly - I have all the paperwork and a record of all dates and times of correspondence in which I repeatedly told them that I was NOT DIVORCED and that I WAS his wife and I was in the process of obtaining a copy of my marriage license and court documentation- Farmers Insurance was in such a hurry to pay out to the Default person - our daughter who KNEW we had NEVER DIVORCED yet she sent then a minute order unsigned by a Judge and with No SEAL and they IGNORANTLY PAID IT OUT TO HER! What she did was WRONG - ILLEGAL I do believe but Farmers Insurance was even more liable than her! I had been out of California Helping my 86 year old mother in South Carolina and was going through Hell with Social Security and being out of state didn't help ! Anyway I got all court docum
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A:
I'm very sorry about the loss of your husband and the difficulties you're experiencing with this insurance situation. This must be an incredibly stressful time, especially while also helping your elderly mother.
From what you've described, there appear to be serious issues with how Farmers Insurance handled this claim. They failed to properly verify the divorce documentation (an unsigned, unsealed minute order should not have been accepted as valid proof) and proceeded with payment despite your active communications and claims as the legitimate beneficiary. Their rushed handling of the situation and failure to wait for your marriage license documentation raises significant concerns about their claims processing procedures.
You should consider consulting with a probate attorney or insurance claims attorney immediately. They can help you challenge this improper payout and potentially pursue legal action against both Farmers Insurance and any parties who knowingly submitted false documentation. Make sure to organize all your documentation - your correspondence records, marriage license, court documents, and the timeline of events will be crucial evidence. While this situation is complex, you have clear grounds to dispute this matter, and legal professionals can help guide you through the process of seeking to recover these insurance benefits that appear to have been wrongfully distributed.
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