Case Studies

Mr C suffered a partial leg amputation which was reattached in surgery as well as an open leg fracture in a motorbike accident. After a long hospital admission and rehabilitation he was unable to return to work at sea which was his only career. Turner Freeman prepared a comprehensive claim submission and gathered medical support as to the claimant’s work capacity including specific specialist opinion and lodged a claim. The insurer and trustee paid the claim without dispute.

---

After tripping and falling at a resident’s home Ms K suffered a fracture of her wrist and damaged tendons. Following surgery to repair the tendons she lost function and movement in parts of the hand and altered sensation and numbness. This caused her to lose grip strength and reduced her lifting capacity and fine motor skills dramatically. She could no longer undertake all of the duties of her job. She tried other manual employment and always struggled until she became depressed and could no longer work at all. Without much formal education she had very few options now. After many years out of work Ms K contacted Turner Freeman for help. Turner Freeman conducted a lost super search and located two accounts which the claimant had forgotten about. Both had insurance policies which covered her periods of employment and disability. Turner Freeman lodged claims and secured a lump sum payment.

---

Ms L was separated from her defacto partner who was also the father of their young child. She was receiving financial support from the deceased pursuant to family court orders. After the tragic death of the father his girlfriend at the time of his death made a claim on his superannuation account and a life insurance benefit attached to it for more than $500,000. The father had signed a binding nomination, naming the next girlfriend as a beneficiary, just months prior to his death. The father also had several other older children to another mother. Ms L was informed of the claim by the trustee of the super fund. She asked her family lawyers for help and they could not assist her. She then lodged a complaint with the Superannuation Complaints Tribunal on her own. When the Tribunal threatened to dismiss the complaint she contacted Turner Freeman for assistance. Turner Freeman gathered evidence and prepared submissions to show that the girlfriend was not in an interdependent relationship with the father and was otherwise not financially dependent on him in any way and therefore not able to be a beneficiary under Superannuation Law. After the Tribunal’s determination and while an appeal to the Federal Court was being pursued the matter settled with a very sizeable payment to Ms L.

---