Estate of Richard W. Meier v. Mary J. Burnsed

Summary

The South Carolina Supreme Court affirmed, as modified, the Court of Appeals' decision that section 62‑2‑507(c) of the South Carolina Probate Code revoked Mary J. Burnsed's status as primary beneficiary of her former husband’s life‑insurance policy. The Court held the statute applies prospectively to governing instruments when the decedent dies after the Act’s effective date, even if the divorce occurred earlier, and that Burnsed had no vested right at the time the statute became effective.