Glover v. Metropolitan Life Ins. Co.

499 F. Supp. 1308
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Missouri
DecidedSeptember 19, 1980
Docket78-625C(A)
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 499 F. Supp. 1308 (Glover v. Metropolitan Life Ins. Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Glover v. Metropolitan Life Ins. Co., 499 F. Supp. 1308 (E.D. Mo. 1980).

Opinion

499 F.Supp. 1308 (1980)

Jeanne B. Woods GLOVER, Plaintiff,
v.
METROPOLITAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY and Roberta R. Woods, Defendants.

No. 78-625C(A).

United States District Court, E. D. Missouri, E. D.

September 19, 1980.

John S. Sandberg, Shepherd, Sandberg & Phoenix, St. Louis, Mo., for plaintiff.

*1309 P. Terence Crebs, Gallop, Johnson, Crebs & Neuman, St. Louis, Mo., Michael J. Doster, Kopsky & Doster, Chesterfield, Mo., for defendants.

MEMORANDUM OPINION

HARPER, District Judge.

The plaintiff, Jeanne B. Woods Glover, a citizen of Florida, and the divorced wife of Robert Woods, deceased (hereinafter referred to as Woods), brought this action in two counts.

The first count is against Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (hereinafter referred to as Metropolitan), a mutual insurance company organized and existing under the laws of the State of New York, having its principal place of business in New York City, to recover $116,000.00, representing the proceeds of a group life insurance policy of International Shoe Company (hereinafter referred to as Interco) which it had with Metropolitan, and which covered Woods at his death as an employee of Interco.

The second count is against Roberta R. Woods, widow of Woods, and a citizen of Missouri (hereinafter referred to as Mrs. Woods). The plaintiff alleges that Metropolitan paid the $116,000.00, the policy proceeds, to Mrs. Woods after the death of Woods, even though she was not entitled to the money, and seeks to recover the $116,000.00 from Mrs. Woods and to have the proceeds of the policy impressed with a trust for plaintiff's benefit as well as a judgment for that amount.

The defendant Metropolitan filed a cross-claim against the defendant Mrs. Woods asking for an amount equal to any judgment which might be entered against it in favor of plaintiff under Count I. The defendant Mrs. Woods crossclaimed against defendant Metropolitan for an amount equal to any judgment which might be rendered against her in favor of plaintiff under Count II.

This Court has jurisdiction by reason of diversity of citizenship and the amount in controversy exceeds $10,000.00, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. 1332.

The case is governed by Missouri law since all events leading up to the suit occurred in Missouri.

When the trial of the case commenced the defendant Mrs. Woods dismissed without prejudice her crossclaim against defendant Metropolitan.

The pleadings, exhibits, stipulation, and credible testimony disclose that from August 15, 1964, until his death on February 2, 1978, Woods worked for the division of Interco which was formerly known as International Shoe Company. On October 26, 1964, Woods enrolled in the group life, health, accident and major medical insurance plan which International Shoe Company had with Metropolitan. Woods designated the plaintiff, who was then his wife of seventeen years, as beneficiary of the group life insurance policy. Woods' coverage under the group policy, No. 7000G, began in January, 1965, and continued until his death, at which time he was a vice president of Interco.

The amount of insurance under the group policy with respect to the employees covered was double the employee's salary. By 1978 Woods' beneficiary would have been entitled to $116,000.00. Woods contributed sixty cents per thousand to the premium and the employer contributed the balance. The contributions were mandatory and the value of the policy could not be varied from double the amount of the employee's salary provided for in the schedule of benefits. The employee could not assign his policy, and contributions to the premium were payable by deduction from the employee's paycheck. The employee could change the beneficiary under the group policy at will by filing a written notice with the employer.

The policy was self-administered by the employer, the group policyholder. It would issue to each employee a certificate procured from Metropolitan stating the amount of the insurance, to whom the benefits were payable, and in some detail the provisions of the policy affecting the employee.

The employer enrolled the employees in the plan, obtained, endorsed and retained *1310 the beneficiary designations and changes of beneficiaries in its files, computed and forwarded monthly premium payments to the insurance company, and processed claims and forwarded checks to beneficiaries, either in a lump sum or in installments. The employer could designate classes of employees for inclusion and exclusion from the policy, and employees would be eligible for the plan only upon making application on forms furnished to the employer by Metropolitan.

The employer was to furnish to Metropolitan a record of all classes of employees it deemed eligible, the date of inclusion of each class, and the period of service required for eligibility under each class. The employer registered on index cards the names of all employees insured by Metropolitan, with the date the insurance became effective, the date it was discontinued, and any increase or decrease in the amount of coverage. Metropolitan could inspect these records and make reasonable requests for information about covered employees.

On September 3, 1969, the plaintiff and Woods separated, but they did not discuss any division of property until August, 1971, when Woods insisted on a divorce. At that time Woods told plaintiff she could have their home, one of the family cars, his three life insurance policies (the group policy, an Aetna policy and a G.I. policy). He rejected her only demand, which was that she not obtain a divorce.

On August 13, 1971, the couple met in the office of George J. Bagot, a lawyer whom plaintiff had retained on April 27, 1971. Woods was not represented by counsel at any time during the divorce proceedings. At that time, plaintiff filed a petition for divorce and the couple signed a property settlement (Stip. 7-Ex. 1), which states in part on page 5, paragraph 8, Exhibit 1:

"Defendant presently has policies of life insurance on his life in which plaintiff is named as beneficiary. Defendant agrees to have ownership of said policies transferred to plaintiff so that plaintiff will be the sole owner of said policies and also remain as the beneficiary. In such event, plaintiff agrees to continue to make payments of premiums on said policies. In the event that ownership cannot be transferred on some or all of said policies, defendant agrees to keep plaintiff as beneficiary on said policies. Plaintiff shall have the right at any time to discontinue making payment on the premiums on said policies or any of them, but only on notice to defendant, and in such event, defendant shall have the right to change the beneficiary."

On October 28, 1971, Woods and plaintiff met in Bagot's office and added a modification to paragraph 8 of the property settlement agreement (Ex. 2), and the second and third paragraphs of that agreement are as follows:

"With reference to the group policy of defendant issued through the defendant's employer, International Shoe Company, which presently provides coverage on defendant's life in the sum of $70,000.00, it is agreed that in the event the company in the future changes the group plan or has issued coverage under a new, different or substituted policy or plan, or with a different company, defendant will name plaintiff as owner of said policy and as beneficiary, with the children of the parties as contingent beneficiaries.

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Bluebook (online)
499 F. Supp. 1308, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/glover-v-metropolitan-life-ins-co-moed-1980.