Florio v. Richardson

MANSFIELD, Circuit Judge:

This appeal raises a rather narrow question of statutory interpretation: whether insurance benefits periodically paid to a stepchild pursuant to the Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. § 402(d) (1969) (the “Act”), as the result of dependency upon his stepfather, the wage earner, must be terminated upon the stepfather’s divorce. The district court held that the divorce did not terminate the benefits, a conclusion with which we agree. However, it further concluded that the benefits were terminated by reason of the child’s relationship with his natural father, which was found…