The family and estate of Glen Doherty, former Navy SEAL and CIA GRS contractor, has filed suit against Rutherford Financial & Insurance (the exclusive insurer of the CIA), the State Department,  and the Central Intelligence Agency, seeking $1 million for wrongful death. They’re forced to file the lawsuit now in order to avoid dismissal of the case based on a statute of limitations—incredibly, there’s a time limit on paying out death benefits.

From the San Diego UT:

Now, the plaintiffs said, Rutherford is refusing to pay a death benefit because Doherty didn’t have a spouse or child.

The claim and insurance lawsuit are being headed by his mother, Barbara Doherty of Massachusetts, who said she wants to “make sure no other American family is similarly impacted.”

“Two years after the Benghazi attack, our family has not received the symbolic justice all families of such American heroes deserve,” she said in a statement. “Our family has been told that no death benefit can be paid, even though our son and brother took out the required insurance. No other family of those slain in Benghazi has received this treatment. Despite the family’s repeated efforts to engage the administration, Congress and insurance companies, no action has been taken. Reluctantly, our family is now proceeding to pursue those legal avenues open to us.”

Barbara Doherty’s claim seeks $1 million for wrongful death. The executor and beneficiary of Doherty’s estate, his former roommate Sean Lake, filed a separate claim seeking $1 million plus $3,150 representing personal property destroyed when Doherty died in a mortar attack on the roof of the diplomatic outpost.

– San Diego Union Tribune Reports

Rutherford and their associates have become synonymous within paramilitary contractor circles for not paying out on claims. The fact that Glen and others are mandated to sign up for life insurance filled with apparent “non-payout” loopholes speaks to a lack of oversight on the CIA’s part and integrity issues with Rutherford their exclusive insurer.

They (State Department) have blinders on, ignoring the input about security from the guys they pay to give it to them, in the deadliest places we go to protect them. The solution to them: Put a Band-aid on an arterial bleed. Then, try and pick up the pieces when none are left. This is due to pure ignorance or arrogance, either of which are proven to get men killed. But then again, the State Department is above contractors; like Hillary said,” What does it matter now?” It matters even more now that we live in a society that puts up with people like her and this administration, who knowingly do harm to Americans and stand down when these same heroes run to save them from their own policies and failures to implement overdue security solutions. Lions led by dogs….RIP BUB and Ty, you are missed and remembered! —Former State Department & CIA Contractor

Glen was a close friend, and I’m admittedly biased when it comes to seeing his family and estate taken care of.  I can say without question that the family and estate have gone above and beyond to reach a conclusion in this matter prior to having their hand forced by this statute of limitations. The low claim amount itself speaks to the sincerity of the family to reach a realistic conclusion in this matter.

What can you do to help? Share this post on Facebook and Twitter; it will put some pressure on the insurance company and the agencies involved to do the right thing.

(Main Image: The author and Glen Doherty at a NYC book signing in Times Square, August 2012)