Insurance payout hold-up for relatives of Kevin Smith’s victim

Ten months after Taneka Gardner’s throat-slashing murder at a Montego Bay-based church, her relatives are still in the dark on the details of her life insurance policy, from which they are anticipating a payout.

Her sister, Shelana Gardner, who is acting with power of attorney, told The Sunday Gleaner that Taneka’s mother and son were the beneficiaries, but she is unable to get information on the policy from Appliance Traders Limited (ATL), the company to which her sister was employed, or insurers Guardian Life, only being told that disclosures could only be made to “the beneficiary”.

On October 17 last year, Taneka, 39, and 38-year-old Michael Scott were reportedly killed during a church ritual presided over by clergyman Kevin O. Smith at the Pathways International Kingdom Restoration Ministries in Montego Bay, St James. Eighteen-year-old Kevaughn Plummer was shot dead when he reportedly attacked cops with a machete as they entered the church to halt the proceedings.

Smith was taken into custody, but reportedly died in a motor vehicle accident a week later while being transported to Kingston to be slapped with charges.

After her death, Taneka’s father, Septimus Gardner, said he had learnt that she had signed the documents making Pastor Kevin Smith – the now-deceased man who presided over the bloody ritual which shocked the nation last October – the beneficiary of the undetermined sum.

However, Mr Gardner said he was reportedly told by the police and ATL that there were some errors in that process, so Taneka’s mother and son remained the beneficiaries.

Mr Gardner said the family had taken both Taneka’s mother, who is gravely ill, and son to the insurance company, where they informed them that Shelana was given power of attorney to handle the matter.

But based on what the family is now being told by ATL and Guardian Life, they are at a loss as to who really is Taneka’s beneficiary.

“I need to hear from the insurance. I need to know what is happening because I spent all of my savings, over $450,000 to bury her, with the understanding that I will get what is mine when the insurance is paid, but now they are not telling me or the other family members anything,” Shelana told The Sunday Gleaner last week. “It is eight months since she was buried. I submitted all the documents, but still nothing. Not a word.

“They told us to carry in documents, but when we ask for details of the policy, they are not telling us nothing, only that the beneficiary would be contacted. Something is fishy.”

When contacted last week, Michelle Johnson-Whyte, head of ATL’s human resources department, told The Sunday Gleaner that the company has no further role to play in the process.

“It is no longer an ATL matter. It is now a Guardian Life matter, our insurance provider, for the claim to be settled. It is now out of our hands and the respective parties, whomever should benefit or will benefit, will be contacted,” she said.

Jacqueline McLeod, vice-president for individual life at Guardian Life, did not respond to Sunday Gleaner questions up to press time.

However, Orville Johnson, executive director of the Insurance Association of Jamaica, shared that generally, only a beneficiary will get information regarding a policy.

“The beneficiary would have an interest in the policy, so that person will get information, but usually the companies will not give information if the person is not connected to the policy,” Johnson explained. “It’s just like having a will, the trustee is duty bound to carry out the outlined instructions.”

‘SHE WAS BAMBOOZLED’

Kevin Smith led his congregation with an iron fist, sustaining his multimillion-dollar empire and luxurious lifestyle from the faithful contributions of a flock mostly made up of the underprivileged.

“She was bamboozled, like a lamb to a slaughter,” a senior ATL employee who worked closely with Taneka daily told The Sunday Gleaner.

“She was so naïve that she lost herself and the man tricked her, so I just don’t think the company wanted to tell the family that she had changed the name of the beneficiary to the pastor and we surmised that that is the reason he had her picked out and killed.”

But Shelana is not convinced that her sister made changes to the policy prior to her death.

“That is not true, they only saying that now because they don’t want to pay,” she stressed. “They called me two to three days after she died and I asked them about the insurance and they did not tell me that.”

But according to the ATL source, the family did not appear united on their visit to enquire about the policy, but more like individuals positioning themselves to see how much they can get.

“I never heard her (Taneka) talk about her father in any of our conversations. It was always about her mother and her children,” the employee said. “Her father came, but we would not have said anything to him because she never mentioned him before.”

Shelana, a Seventh-day Adventist, said she respected her sister’s choice of place of worship until she suggested that Taneka ask Kevin Smith to visit their ailing mother to pray for healing.

“She said that her pastor would not do it and I started to wonder what kind of pastor would refuse to visit a dedicated member’s home to pray for a loved one,” she recalled. “I told her that I did not believe in him and I left her alone.”

She said the family is yet to receive a visit from a member of the Pathways Cathedral since the tragedy, and the relative who invited Taneka to be a part of the church has relocated to Portland since the incident.

The family is still undecided on taking civil action against Smith’s estate.

The clergyman was close to adding the ill-fated 144 Albion Road property, where the church was located, to his impressive list of assets, which include a luxury villa. The current status of his estate is unclear.

Valerie Neita-Robertson, QC, the late preacher’s lead attorney, could not be reached for a comment despite several attempts, and attorney-at-law Henry McCurdy, who also represented Smith, refused to discuss the matter.

“I will never relate any matter regarding my clients to the media,” McCurdy told The Sunday Gleaner.

mark.titus@gleanerjm.com