George Roseme, a political science professor at Carleton University, had signed a memorandum agreeing that his pension payments would cease with his death, rather than going to his heirs or estate.

Two Quebec courts previously ruled that Carleton University is entitled to roughly $500,000 it paid to George Roseme in the years between when he went missing and when his body was found.

In a decision released this week, the court said the professor's right to the payments ended when he died, not on the date his body was discovered.