The wife of former Conseco Inc. chief counsel Lawrence Inlow has lost a court appeal in which she attempted to prevent money from a wrongful death settlement with the Carmel insurance company from being used to pay for his funeral.

The decision means the $248,034 cost of the funeral and burial will be taken from the settlement and shifted to the estate. The estate had reimbursed Anita Inlow for the expenses, which she paid herself.

Lawrence Inlow, who played a key role in Conseco's rapid expansion in the 1990s, was killed in 1997 when he was struck in the head by a blade of a company helicopter. He was the highest paid lawyer in the nation at the time and left a $100 million estate - but no will.

Conseco settled the wrongful-death suit for $884,713.

Four children from Lawrence Inlow's first marriage asked that the funeral expenses be taken from the settlement.

The 2-1 decision by the Indiana Court of Appeals upheld two lower court rulings.