A Tale of Two Foreign Death Claims

Both involved deaths occurring far from the borders of the United States in places not frequented by U.S. citizens. Both involved claims that were denied because the proof of death was less than satisfactory to the insurance companies. And both resulted in lawsuits brought by unhappy beneficiaries. That is where the similarities end. In one of the cases, the beneficiary was successful in court and recovered benefits; in the other case, the beneficiary lost. What was the difference?