Shannon Bennett, the gay Broward Sheriff’s deputy who died from COVID-19 in April, has been denied insurance benefits covering his death.Insurance giant AIG denied the family’s claim for accidental death in the line of duty last month.
Bennett became the first officer to die in Broward County of the coronavirus. According to AIG, Bennett’s death didn’t occur in the line of duty; “rather, his death was caused in whole or in part by, or resulted in whole or in part from sickness or disease, specifically excluded under this policy.”“Essentially, while my family is grappling with trying to get our bearings back, this type of letter comes in and of course it floors us,” Darren Bennett, Shannon’s brother, told Local 10 News.