Prudential Questions Woman’s Claim On Husband’s Death

PHOENIX - For the past 30 months, Beverly Thomas has been trying to convince officials for the Prudential Insurance Company that she had nothing to do with the death of her husband.

But the company, afraid that they may pay out $90,000 of his death benefit to someone who was not eligible to receive it, has turned the matter over to the federal courts in Phoenix to decide who should get the death benefits of Le-Von Thomas.

On Wednesday, Beverly Thomas' attorney Dennis Glanzer filed a motion in federal court asking for the court to recognize that his client had nothing to do with her husband's death so she could receive his death benefits.

LeVon Thomas worked for the Peabody Coal Company in the Kayenta/ Black Mesa area and was covered by the company's group life plan for $90,000. In 1997, he had designated his wife as the primary benefactor of the plan and his five children as secondary benefactors.

LeVon Thomas died in a fire in March 2015 and on June 29, 2015, his wife filed for his death benefits, according to court documents.

Officials for the insurance company, however, declined to pay out any of the benefits, referring to an investigation done by the Navajo Nation Police Department that said the cause of the fire and the manner of his death was undetermined.

"The United States attorney assigned to the matter has refused to provide details of the investigation to Prudential and Prudential is unable to rule out Beverly as a suspect in the investigation," the insurance company said in his pleadings before the court.

Court documents state that the fire investigator who studied the fire said it started on the exterior wall north of the front door.

"The cause is undetermined," his report stated.

His autopsy determined the cause of death was from thermal injuries and smoke inhalation.

"The manner of death is undetermined," the autopsy report stated.

In his request for a summary judgment, Glanzer pointed out that since March 2015 no one "has produced any evidence that Beverly Thomas feloniously or intentionally killed the late Le-Von Thomas."

And no one, he continued, has produced any evidence that disqualified Beverly Thomas from receiving the benefits.