Life insurance claims involving suicide allegations, autoerotic asphyxiation, or drug use are among the most frequently denied and the most commonly mishandled. Insurers often rely on stigma, assumptions, or vague policy language to avoid paying benefits, even when the denial is legally unsupported.
If your claim was denied under one of these theories, that does not mean the insurer is right.
Denials Built on Assumptions, Not Proof
When the cause of death is uncomfortable or socially stigmatized, insurers move quickly. They often classify deaths without a full investigation, relying on shortcuts that favor denial.
Common denial tactics include:
• Labeling ambiguous deaths as suicide without clear evidence
• Treating autoerotic asphyxiation as intentional self harm
• Denying claims based solely on the presence of drugs, not causation
• Ignoring policy language that requires intent or direct cause
These strategies work because beneficiaries are grieving, overwhelmed, and unfamiliar with insurance law. Insurers know many people will not challenge the decision.
Suicide Allegations Require Proof of Intent
Most life insurance policies include a suicide exclusion that applies only within a specific time period, often the first two years. Even within that window, the insurer must still prove intent.
Suspicion is not enough. Circumstances alone are not enough. Lack of explanation is not enough.
We routinely see denials where:
• No suicide note exists
• There is no history of depression or ideation
• The death could be accidental or unexplained
• The medical examiner used inconclusive language
In these cases, insurers often overreach. When intent cannot be proven, the exclusion may not apply.
Autoerotic Asphyxiation Is Accidental Under the Law
Autoerotic asphyxiation deaths are frequently denied under suicide or self inflicted injury exclusions. That classification is often wrong.
Courts across the country have recognized that these deaths are accidental because the intent is pleasure, not harm. The fact that the activity involved risk does not transform an accident into suicide.
Insurers still deny these claims because they assume beneficiaries will not fight back due to embarrassment or fear of exposure. That assumption is often incorrect.
With proper forensic evidence and legal framing, these denials can be overturned.
Drug Presence Is Not the Same as Cause of Death
Another common denial involves drugs found during toxicology testing. Insurers frequently deny claims based on illegal substance exclusions even when the drug had nothing to do with how the person died.
Policies typically require that death result from drug use, not merely coincide with it.
Examples where denials are often wrongful include:
• The insured was not driving or operating machinery
• The accident was caused by weather, equipment failure, or another party
• The level of the substance was not impairing
• There is no medical evidence linking the drug to the death
Presence alone does not trigger most exclusions. Causation matters.
Why These Claims Require a Specialist
Claims involving suicide allegations, autoerotic asphyxiation, or drug use are not routine. They involve overlapping issues of policy interpretation, medical evidence, forensic analysis, and case law.
General attorneys often miss critical arguments or fail to challenge the insurer’s assumptions. These cases require focused experience.
We handle life insurance claim denials exclusively. That matters.
We know how insurers frame these denials, how internal appeals work, and what evidence actually moves the needle. We also know when an appeal is enough and when litigation is required.
Compassion and Confidentiality Matter
These cases are not just legally complex. They are deeply personal.
Families dealing with suicide allegations, sexualized causes of death, or substance use deserve discretion and respect. Insurers often exploit discomfort to pressure beneficiaries into silence.
We do not allow that.
Our role is to protect your interests, control the narrative, and keep the focus where it belongs on policy language, evidence, and the law.
What to Do After One of These Denials
If your claim was denied based on suicide, autoerotic asphyxiation, or drug use:
• Do not respond emotionally to the insurer
• Preserve the denial letter and all attachments
• Request the full policy and claim file
• Avoid giving recorded statements without counsel
• Speak with a life insurance attorney immediately
Early mistakes can limit later options. Timing matters.
You Do Not Have to Accept the Denial
Life insurance companies rely on silence, confusion, and grief. A denial letter is not a final judgment. It is a position taken by a company with a financial incentive not to pay.
These claims can be fought. Many are won.
If your denial involves suicide allegations, autoerotic asphyxiation, or drug use, the facts and the policy may be on your side.