08/29/2026
What happens when you faithfully pay for life insurance to protect your family—only for the insurance company to deny the claim when it's needed most?
On this episode of Let’s Be Blunt with Montel, Montel sits down with Michael Hoover, founder of LifeClaim, a law firm focused exclusively on delayed and denied life insurance claims.
With roughly 140 million life insurance policies in the United States and tens of millions of Americans using cannabis, there is a growing intersection between the two—and Michael says the insurance industry hasn’t always kept pace with the rapidly changing cannabis marketplace.
Michael takes Montel inside real cases involving THC toxicology reports, hemp-derived products, accidental deaths, contestability investigations, and insurance denials. He explains why the presence of THC doesn't necessarily establish impairment, how postmortem toxicology can be misinterpreted, and why the difference between ma*****na and legal hemp-derived THC can have enormous consequences for a grieving family.
They also break down what Michael calls the four major problems that can derail a claim—human error, scientific error, legal error, and procedural landmines—and discuss the complicated rules surrounding employer-sponsored policies governed by ERISA.
Most importantly, Michael shares what families should know before speaking with an insurance company, why a denial letter isn't necessarily the final word, and how getting the right professional guidance can make all the difference.
Whether you use cannabis or not, if you have life insurance—or someone you love depends on your policy—this is an episode you need to hear.
https://youtu.be/TvsZLcM9iOg?si=qVvMuLxg0OmUAxIP
