A Philadelphia trial judge has ruled that the same-sex former domestic partner of a deceased man is not entitled to life insurance benefits because he was not able to prove he was the designated beneficiary.
In Estate of Stephen Gallagher, Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge John W. Herron denied Joseph Hallman’s motion for summary judgment and granted the summary judgment motion of Stephen Gallagher’s estate, finding that the lack of a clear designated beneficiary required that benefits be awarded to Gallagher’s parents as the default beneficiaries under the life insurance policy with Aetna Life Insurance Co.
