Class Certified, Individual Relief Granted In Same-Sex Survivor Benefits Suit

Mealey's (September 15, 2020, 11:58 AM EDT) -- SEATTLE — A federal judge in Washington on Sept. 11 adopted a magistrate judge's report and recommendation granting a claim for individual relief by a woman seeking Social Security survivor benefits based on the work history of her partner who died before same-sex marriage was legalized and certifying a class of similarly situated individuals and ordered the parties to show cause regarding the appropriate relief for the class (Helen Josephine Thornton, et al. v. Commissioner of Social Security, No. 18-1409, W.D. Wash., 2020 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 166805)....