Insurer stalls on payout to daughter

An insurance firm wants the investigation into Heath Ledger's death re-opened to see if he killed himself, according to people.com.

The lawyer acting for Matilda, Heath's two-year-old daughter, said the company dealing with the actor's life insurance is balking at paying out $10m.

William Shernoff, acting for Heath's only child, claims ReliaStar Life Insurance Co wants to investigate whether the Aussie actor died by suicide. He said: 'There's no evidence out there we know of to remotely suggest the death was a suicide. We think it's more a stalling tactic than anything else.'

Earlier this year the coroner found the 28-year-old star of Brokeback Mountain had died from an accidental overdose in January.

Heath Ledger left his estate to his parents and three sisters, but the will had been made two years before Matilda was born. She is the daughter he had with ex-girlfriend Michelle Williams. But his parents and sisters have given all of their inheritance to Matilda. Heath's father, Kim, said: 'It's what Heath would have wanted.'

Dana Ripley, a spokesman for ReliaStar, said: 'We have not yet rendered a decision on this claim. Given the very private and personal nature of the life insurance business and our decision to protect the privacy of the policyholder, it wouldn't be appropriate to discuss any specific detail on this process or the policy.'

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