Sued: A lawsuit alleges a Baton Rouge man improperly collected a $500,000 payout from his business partner’s life insurance policy after the partner gunned down his estranged wife and shot and killed himself in Connecticut last year. The Associated Press reports the federal lawsuit, filed Friday, says Billy Wayne Newman illegally replaced his wife, Lauren Beebe, as the policy’s beneficiary with his business partner, Todd Hines, less than two weeks before Newman killed her and himself. The suit says Hines filed a claim for the policy’s proceeds less than three weeks after the Nov. 25 shootings, without informing the couple’s relatives. The suit claims Newman and Beebe’s two children are the rightful recipients. Beebe’s relatives are suing to recover the money from Hines, who didn’t immediately respond to a call and email seeking comment today.
Unlocked: A national tug of war on whether to favor privacy over national security and justice spilled into the Louisiana Legislature today, where a bill that would allow families to seek a court order requiring companies to unlock the smartphone of a relative who died without a will was approved by a House panel. Gannett Louisiana reports the sister of Brittney Mills, who was murdered in Baton Rouge last year while eight months pregnant, testified in favor of House Bill 1118 by Rep. Marcus Hunter, D-Monroe. Tia Mills said her sister kept an electronic diary on her smartphone that could yield clues about the crime, which remains unsolved. Brittney Mills’ son was born, but also died a few days after his mother. Read the full story.
Buy back: With merger talks called off, Baker Hughes today says it will use its $3.5 billion breakup fee from Halliburton Co. to buy back debt and stock as well as cut about $500 million in annual costs. FuelFix.com reports Halliburton, the world’s second largest energy services firm, and Baker Hughes, the third biggest, on Sunday called off the merger, valued at roughly $34 billion. Merger talks were called off after the companies ran into stiff antitrust opposition. The merger’s terms required Halliburton to pay Baker Hughes a breakup fee if the deal was unable to be closed. Both companies are expected to lay off workers and trim businesses as they seek to navigate the worst oil bust in a generation alone. Read the full story.
