Widow of Sioux Falls basketball coach sues insurance firm over death benefits
The widow of a record-breaking Sioux Falls high school basketball coach says an $83,000 life insurance claim was wrongfully denied.
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Micki Tibbetts, whose husband Fred Tibbetts died of colon cancer in February, filed a lawsuit Monday against Mutual of Omaha and its underwriter, United of Omaha. She wants a federal judge to force the insurer to honor the policy.
Tibbetts began working as a speech therapist with the Sioux Falls School District Jan. 23, according to the complaint.
She said a Mutual of Omaha agent told her when she was hired that Fred’s illness would not prevent her from receiving life insurance benefits after his death, but the company denied her claim two months later.
Tibbetts was the winningest coach in South Dakota girls basketball when he died at age 58. His son, Nate Tibbetts, coaches the Sioux Falls Skyforce, an NBA Developmental League team.