Life Insurance Beneficiary

[brismema]

My exhusband recently passed away. I learned after his death that he had never taken out a $200,000 life insurance policy in my son's name as required per our divorce agreement. His estate is debt only except for a life insurance policy that he left for his current wife...$160,000. Do I have a legal right to claim this money for my son?

 

[ALawyer]

This is tricky. You'll need a local lawyer to tell you based on the language of the decree, your state's law and the source of funds. But there is an old rule of thumb -- you can't get money out of a stone. Your failure to monitor the decree and assure there was a policy in force may mean your sol is out of luck.