The widow of a police general proved that you can be a dependent while receiving a pension

She won a lawsuit against the Ministry of Internal Affairs

The Zamoskvoretsky court had to clarify the meaning of the concept of “dependency” when considering the claim of the widow of a high-ranking police general against his employer. They tried to deprive an elderly woman of her survivor’s pension, but she proved that she was entitled to her husband’s benefit.

As MK learned, the widow of the former head of the Main Directorate of Private Security of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, Lieutenant General Sergei Radivil, was forced to sue the police department. A major police official headed private security in the mid-90s of the last century. He then retired and died at the end of 2022. Radivil’s wife expected that she would be paid a survivor’s pension, but the woman was unexpectedly denied. The logic of the officials was simple: the lady, a doctor by profession, received her own pension on which she could live, which means it was incorrect to assume that she was dependent on her husband.

The court considered the widow’s claim and came to the conclusion that she was right. The provided certificates and the testimony of the plaintiff and her son made it possible to establish: the lieutenant general’s pension was many times greater than his wife’s benefit. This means that the word “dependency” is quite suitable for this situation – the retired boss provided for his wife, and after his death the widow’s financial situation was greatly shaken. That is why Themis decided that the plaintiff should receive a survivor’s pension.