HAIFA, Israel, April 23 (UPI)

An Israeli woman qualifies as the wife of her late partner, another woman, and will receive 40 percent of her pension fund, a court ruled. The woman, who was not identified, had a child with Or Lephler, and they lived as life partners, reported the Israeli news agency Ynet News. Mivtachim insurance company, which control’s Lephler’s pension, claimed that Lephler’s partner should be considered a widower whose wife died, which would have qualified the partner for 20 percent in pension pay, Ynet News reported Monday. But, in an unprecedented ruling, Haifa’s Labor court Sunday recognized Lephler’s life partner as her widow, awarding her monthly benefits of 40 percent from Lephler’s pension fund, the news agency said. Lephler died from complications from a bone-marrow transplant, Ynet News said.

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