FAIRFIELD, Ohio – Robin Pearl is still mourning after her daughter was shot and killed in Avondale in June.
But the Fairfield woman said now she’s dealing with another mess: the life insurance company handling her daughter's policy won’t pay because of a “technicality.”
Pearl's 18-year-old daughter, also named Robin Pearl, was shot dead while sitting in an SUV in Avondale in June. Police said a man named Joshua Maxton walked up to the car and opened fire.
The months since then have been hard on Pearl.
“I try to stay occupied,” she said. “But when I have those moments, those down times...It's bad."
Pearl thought the insurance would be something she could count on. Her daughter had up to $25,000 worth of coverage with Cincinnati Life Insurance, and she spent months tracking down police reports and medical records for her claim.
The mother had kept up with the payments, so she was surprised when the company denied her claim.
“It’s denied,” she said. “That’s it. That’s all.”
According to a letter from the insurance company, they denied the claim because of two questions about medical history Pearl inadvertently answered incorrectly on the application.
The company wrote that the policy would have never been issued if they had known about a medical treatment the younger Pearl had needed, but didn’t specify what the issue was.
Pearl said her daughter had been healthy.
"It's not that my daughter passed on anything that was listed,” Pearl said. “She was the victim of a homicide. You decide to go digging into the medical records to find whatever it is they found just to deny the claim."
Cincinnati Insurance spokeswoman Betsy Ertel issued this statement for the company via email to WCPO late Friday evening: “We extend our condolences for the loss of Ms. Pearl’s daughter, Robin. To respect the privacy of all of our policyholders and applicable privacy laws, our company policy prevents sharing details about specific claims.”
