You think that money isn't theirs? Before you go tossing around words like "scam" and "slimy" and "fraud", park you high horse and think about how those terms apply to what these people are actually doing. You're claiming they are trying to take something that isn't theirs. Really? What are they trying to take that does not belong to them? Are they taking someone else's pension money? No. Are they trying to take Continental's money? No. Are they taking an amount of money that is more than they put in? No. They are trying to gain access to the money THEY PUT IN. As far as I can tell from the story, they did not get one more cent back than the balance in THEIR account. More specifically, they are trying to get THEIR money that is being controlled by a company that is failing. This is not a "what if". Continental is losing money. Lots of money. If the company goes down, their money could be at risk. Furthermore, at the rate the government is printing money, THEIR money is losing value. They would like to preserve that money. As it happens, there is a legal vehicle to do that. Civil divorce. They are using the legal means at their disposal to opt out of a bad situation created by Continental and the government.
Now,why do you think Continental would fight tooth and nail to keep them from getting access to pension money that does not belong to Continental or TO ANYONE ELSE? Hmmm?
Reporters are lazy. Just because they use the word "scam" to make these people look like villains for wanting their own money back, doesn't mean you have to fall for it without stopping to think about what is really going on.