Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District / Jun 17, 2025
Financial Credit Investments II, Trust E vs. Estate of Georgia Towers, et al.
Financial Credit Investments II, Trust E, sued the Estate of Georgia Towers and Edwin Towers in Jackson County, Missouri, seeking a declaratory judgment regarding a $5 million life insurance policy and indemnification. The Estate moved to dismiss, citing parallel litigation in Minnesota and Delaware concerning whether the policy was an unlawful "stranger originated life insurance" (STOLI) policy. The circuit court dismissed Financial Credit's action, and the appellate court affirmed, holding that the dismissal was a proper exercise of discretion under the comity doctrine given the pending out-of-state litigation, similar issues, and Delaware's greater interest.