WILLIAM F. JUNG, District Judge.
This Clerk of Court holds an interest-bearing account of $10,000, which represents the death benefit due as a result of the death of M.Y.G., an infant.
In this interpleader action, Defendants Grohman and Valerie A. Beheler (now Lauridsen)
James Grohman, a servicemember of the U.S. Army at all relevant times, is the father of the insured, M.Y.G who was approximately three months old. The infant's death in November 2015 was ruled a homicide caused by "prior episode(s) of head injury now with seizures." Dkt. 1-2. Mr. Grohman pleaded guilty to and was convicted of the Tennessee state law crime of "aggravated child abuse—bodily injury" in connection with the death of the M.Y.G. Dkts. 1 ¶ 14, 1-3. M.Y.G.'s mother, Rachel Grohman, also a servicemember of the U.S. Army at all relevant times, pleaded guilty to and was convicted of the Tennessee state law crime of "facilitation of aggravated child neglect" in connection with the death of M.Y.G. Dkts. 1 ¶ 15, 1-4.
Per the terms of the policy and the statute, 38 U.S.C. § 1970(i),
Based on these facts, which this Court must accept as true,
The regulations provide, however, that certain persons shall not be paid the death benefit. A person "who is convicted of intentionally and wrongfully killing the decedent" may not receive the insurance proceeds. 38 C.F.R. § 9.5(e)(1)(2)(i). Nor may a person "who is convicted of assisting or aiding" the person who is convicted of the wrongful killing, be paid. 38 C.F.R. § 9.5(e)(1)(2)(ii).
In applying the federal statute to determine Mr. Grohman's rights to the proceeds, state law plays a role in determining to whom the proceeds are due. The Tennessee Slayer Statute, Tennessee Code Annotated § 31-1-106 et seq., provides that an individual who "feloniously and intentionally kills a decedent" must not be paid the death benefit. These individuals forfeit all benefits with respect to the decedent's testate or intestate estates as well as suffer revocation of certain interests found in governing instruments. See Tenn. Code Ann., § 31-1-106.
Tennessee case law makes it clear that the phrase "feloniously and intentionally kills" does not include an accidental shooting death. Gerber Life Ins. Co. v. Wallace, 839 F.Supp.2d 998 (E.D. Tenn. 2012). In Wallace, the parents of a minor child who was accidentally shot by a minor sibling were not barred from recovering as beneficiaries of the proceeds of three life insurance policies insuring the decedent. Even though the parents were charged with criminally negligent homicide in connection with the shooting, the court relied on Tennessee substantive law and concluded that the element of intent is not an element of criminally negligent homicide. Id. at 1003 (citing Moore v. State Farm Life Ins. Co., 878 S.W.2d 946 (Tenn. 1994), which determined that "criminally negligent" was one step removed from vehicular homicide, a crime which the Tennessee courts had already determined did not trigger section 31-1-106 to bar recovery of insurance proceeds; and noting vehicular homicide was defined as "the reckless killing" of another and did not suggest the killing was intentional).
Prudential did not brief the precise issue of whether insurance proceeds are barred under section 31-1-106 when the beneficiary is convicted of the "Class A Felony" of "aggravated child abuse — bodily injury (under 6)." Dkt. 1 ¶ 14. By its own independent research, the Court has not found a Tennessee case construing section 31-1-106 in the context of aggravated child abuse. Nor does the record before the Court provide any insight into the precise facts surrounding the homicide.
Accordingly, the Court awards the proceeds to Grohman's mother Lauridsen. She is the grandmother of the decedent and is the custodial adoptive parent of the decedent's sibling, the sole surviving offspring of James and Rachel Grohman.
The Clerk shall mail all the funds plus interest to Valerie Lauridsen. Thereafter, the Clerk shall close the case.