'Husband Found Not Guilty of Killing Pregnant Wife' Wins 1 Billion Won Insurance Lawsuit in Second Trial

After his pregnant wife died in a traffic accident, the husband, who was acquitted of murder charges in a criminal trial, won partial victory in the second trial against the insurance company after losing in the first trial.

Seoul High Court.

On the 6th, the 16th Civil Division of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judge Kim In-gyeom) ruled in the second trial of a lawsuit filed by Mr. A against Mirae Asset Life Insurance, claiming about 3 billion KRW in insurance payments, that "Mirae Asset Life Insurance must pay Mr. A over 1 billion KRW."

Previously, on August 23, 2014, Mr. A was driving a van and collided with a parked cargo truck, resulting in the death of his 7-month pregnant wife (then 24 years old) who was riding with him. The prosecution indicted him on charges of murder and insurance fraud. They raised concerns over the fact that Mr. A had subscribed to 25 insurance policies from 2008 to 2014, naming his wife as the insured and himself as the beneficiary. The total insured amount was investigated to be 9.5 billion KRW in principal alone, exceeding 10 billion KRW including delayed interest.

However, the court ruled that "the motive for the crime is not clear," acquitted him of murder and fraud charges, and only recognized guilt under the Special Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Traffic Offenses for causing death, sentencing him to two years in prison in March 2021.

Subsequently, Mr. A filed lawsuits against insurance companies demanding payment of approximately 9.5 billion KRW in insurance benefits. In this case against Mirae Asset Life Insurance, the first trial ruled against Mr. A, but the second trial's judgment was different. It ruled in favor of Mr. A.

Meanwhile, the insurance claims lawsuits filed by Mr. A have shown mixed results depending on key issues such as understanding of the terms and conditions at the time of subscription. Among them, the lawsuit filed against the Saemaeul Geumgo Central Association resulted in a partial victory for Mr. A, confirmed by the Supreme Court.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.