In the case of Amelia Bennecke, Plaintiff vs The Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Company, the widow, Mrs. Bennecke brought suit to recover $2000 on the life insurance policy of her deceased husband.
The insurance company had refused to pay because it said it warned Mr. Bennecke that his policy would be voided if he traveled south of the ‘limits of residence’ proscribed in the policy, namely to the city of New Orleans, where he promptly died of yellow fever.
the SCOTUS upheld the lower court which affirmed the right of the insurance company to withhold payment, in part because it appears the ‘permission given by the insurance company to Mr. Bennecke to travel south of the thirty-second parellel of latitude, was issued after he was already dead.
This may be interpreted by some, to mean all citizens must make sure they have all insurance waivers and documents signed and dated before arranging to unexpectedly expire.
Apparently the plaintiff’s husband’s ‘freedom of movement and assembly,’ and ‘pursuit of happiness’ was not a consideration in the SCOTUS decision.
The date of the SCOTUS decision is March 18, 1882.