And yet another Heath Ledger update

As discussed earlier this blog, Heath Ledger’s will was drafted before the birth of his daughter, Matilda, and left his entire estate to his parents and siblings.  Nonetheless, his family has decided to allow the entire estate estimated at $20 million to pass to Matilda.

I also reported that Heath’s life insurance company (ReliaStar) is refusing to pay on his $10 million policy claiming that his death was a suicide, rather than as the result from an accidental overdose of drugs as the New York City Medical Examiner concluded.  The policy provides that the company would only return the premiums paid, rather than the proceed amount, if the death is the result of Heath’s suicide.

Here are some additional developments:

• Suit was filed against ReliaStar in July 2008.
• ReliaStar is a unit of Ing (a Dutch organization).
• The lawsuit does not mention Heath or Matilda by name but instead just references a death on January 22, 2008 (the date of Heath’s death).
• The goal of the lawsuit is to recover the $10 million proceeds for a trust for Matilda’s benefit.
• The attorneys assert that once Heath died, it was too late to investigate possible misstatements on his insurance application.
• The lawsuit was removed from Los Angeles Superior Court to the United States District Court in Los Angeles in August 2008.

See AP, Heath Ledger’s ex-lawyer sues Minn. insurer, KSTP.com, Sept. 29, 2008 and Marc Lifsher, Trust for Heath Ledger’s daughter sues insurer over death benefit, LA Times, Sept. 30, 2008.