The mother and boyfriend of a woman who died as the result of a May 14 motorcycle accident, are battling over the dead woman’s $50,000 life insurance payout.
Diane Lanthier, 58, of Clermont, died as a result of the accident which occurred at the intersection of Rolling Acres Road and County Road 466 in Lady Lake. She had been a passenger on a motorcycle driven by her boyfriend, Bryan Barnash, 58, of Clermont. You can read more about the crash HERE.
It was determined that Barnash was drunk on the night of the accident and he has been charged with DUI manslaughter. He remains free on $30,000 bond as the criminal case is pending in Lake County Court.
Barnash is also locked in a battle with Lanthier’s mother, Theresa Fioretti of New Jersey, over the payout of Lanthier’s life insurance policy.
Lanthier had been employed by Hunton Brady Architects PA and was covered under the company’s group life insurance through Sun Life. She had designated Barnash as her sole primary beneficiary and had named her mother as her sole secondary beneficiary in the event Barnash predeceased her.
Barnash submitted a claim on June 1 seeking the life insurance payout. On June 9, he was charged in Lanthier’s death. Her mother subsequently challenged Barnash’s entitlement to the benefit due to his role in her daughter’s death.
Sun Life has filed its own claim, indicating that it will be incurring legal fees as it attempts to sort out the dispute in court. Sun Life wants to recover its legal fees from the life insurance policy.
You can read more about Lanthier’s life HERE.
