Bill awards dead NY trooper's widow $40K-per-year pension

WEST NYACK, N.Y. (AP) - The widow of a state trooper in suburban New York City legally denied her deceased husband's $40,000 annual pension has received the benefit after legislators passed a special bill.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill authorizing the payout last month.

The paper says Stephanie O'Brien battled in court for five years to receive the payment.

Husband Richard O'Brien died in December 2009 after falling off of a ladder. It says the former investigator died seven minutes before his disability retirement application was filed. He had a daughter.

Courts denied the payout because O'Brien technically wasn't part of the retirement system when he died.

But legislators disagreed and their bill would net more than $1.6 million if the 37-year-old widow lives another 40 years.

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