Settlement agreed to on Heath Ledger’s life insurance
Posted on January 30th, 2009 by Hot Momma
Heath Ledger’s insurance company has dropped its suicide probe and reached an out of court settlement over a $10 million policy claim, with lawyers for his young daughter Matilda.
Ledger, 28, died a year ago in his New York apartment after consuming a deadly cocktail of prescription painkillers and sleeping pills, including OxyContin, Vicodin, Valium and Xanax, in what officials ruled an accidental prescription-drug overdose.
Ledger took out the $10 million life insurance plan in June, 2007, and made Matilda the beneficiary.
But lawyers for ReliaStar Life Insurance Co said they wanted to investigate further before paying out because his death might have been suicide, which would nullify the policy.
Attorney William Shernoff filed a lawsuit in July 2008 on behalf of Ledger’s 3-year-old daughter, Matilda Rose, over the $10 million he argued was due to her as the beneficiary. After the lawsuit was filed, the two sides negotiated.
“The parties are pleased that they were able to reach an amicable settlement and solve the dispute,” Shernoff said.
No details were released on terms of the agreement.
Ledger, who had his daughter with actress Michelle Williams, is Oscar-nominated for playing Batman’s arch enemy the Joker in “The Dark Knight.” Matilda lives with her mother, actress Michelle Williams, in New York.
No comments yet.