Life Insurance Claim Denied For Nevada Lawman Who Died Of COVID

The widow of a Nevada sheriff's deputy who died of COVID-19 in October is reeling from another setback: an expected life insurance payout is not coming.

Lyon County Deputy Sheriff John R. King died Oct. 8 due to complications from COVID-19. He had reportedly been hospitalized for about seven weeks.

The Lyon County Sheriff’s Office announced King's death on their Facebook page: “It is with a heavy heart that Lyon County Sheriff’s Office reports the loss of Deputy John King. Deputy King had just recently started his career with Lyon County in July of this year."

Unfortunately, King was not fully covered by a life insurance policy underwritten by Guardian Life Insurance Co. According to local news reporting, Gloria King, John King's widow, was expecting to receive a $50,000 check from the insurer.

Instead, she received a letter from Guardian rejecting the claim. The insurer indicated that their policy required John King to be "fully capable of performing the major duties" of full-time work on Oct. 1, NBC affiliate News 4 reported. The King policy took effect that day.

In a statement sent to InsuranceNewsNet, Guardian Life said: "We understand this is a very difficult time for the King family and our thoughts go out to them. Out of respect for individual privacy, we do not comment on the specifics of a claim determination involving one of our insureds."

King had been on the job less than a month when he reportedly went on a call to investigate a COVID-19 death. About a week later, he came down with COVID-19 symptoms of his own.

According to reports, King leaves behind his wife, son, two daughters, and two granddaughters. Guardian's rejection can be appealed, which Gloria King reportedly has done.

InsuranceNewsNet Senior Editor John Hilton has covered business and other beats in more than 20 years of daily journalism. John may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @INNJohnH.

© Entire contents copyright 2022 by InsuranceNewsNet.com Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted without the expressed written consent from InsuranceNewsNet.com.

InsuranceNewsNet Senior Editor John Hilton has covered business and other beats in more than 20 years of daily journalism. John may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @INNJohnH.