Attorney General Andy Beshear has joined a group of 21 states filing a complaint that could secure $3 million for the commonwealth. The dispute is over unclaimed "official checks" issued by MoneyGram sold in Kentucky.
MoneyGram is a national money transfer services company.
The group is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to declare that the plaintiff states are entitled to the money, the checks then turned over to Delaware for guidance and direction and finally appropriated to the coalition of states. They also seek the right to all future similar 'abandoned and unclaimed' property.
Beshear says he believes federal and state laws provide that property should be turned over to the state where the property was purchased. He says he is working with Treasurer Allison Ball on the matter.
According to a news release citing Thursday's action, the error was based on a mistaken belief that such property was to be turned over to the issuing company's state of incorporation, which in this case is Delaware.
The other states are: Arkansas, Texas, Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah and West Virginia.
