Show Us the MoneyGram: What the Supreme Court’s Unclaimed Property Ruling Means

This article explores the implications of the recent U.S. Supreme Court opinion in the MoneyGram case and how it might lead to new state unclaimed property legislation.

The U.S. Supreme Court released its long-awaited decision in the MoneyGram case pitting 30 states against Delaware. Our Unclaimed Property Team breaks down the decision and how it could affect holders in the future.

Unclaimed property took center stage on the first day of the U.S. Supreme Court term when the court heard the long-awaited oral arguments in the consolidated cases of Delaware v. Pennsylvania and Wisconsin and Arkansas v. Delaware — commonly referred to as the MoneyGram case. This article discusses why the U.S. Supreme Court’s oral arguments in the bellwether MoneyGram unclaimed property case will likely lead to them deciding for the petitioners.

Kendall Houghton is quoted on the uncertainty created by the MoneyGram unclaimed property dispute special master who changed his stance on the case after reading the transcripts of the recent U.S. Supreme Court oral arguments.

Our Unclaimed Property Team reviews the report of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Special Master parsing the definitions of “money orders” and “similar instruments” and how those words decide if certain unclaimed property falls under federal common law or the federal Disposition of Abandoned Money Orders and Traveler’s Checks Act.