In re Lutheran Brotherhood Variable Insurance Products Co. Sales Practices Litigation

201 F.R.D. 456, 2001 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13353, 2001 WL 769003
CourtDistrict Court, D. Minnesota
DecidedJune 5, 2001
DocketNo. 99-MD-1309
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 201 F.R.D. 456 (In re Lutheran Brotherhood Variable Insurance Products Co. Sales Practices Litigation) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Minnesota primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re Lutheran Brotherhood Variable Insurance Products Co. Sales Practices Litigation, 201 F.R.D. 456, 2001 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13353, 2001 WL 769003 (mnd 2001).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

MAGNUSON, District Judge.

This matter is before the Court on Plaintiffs’ Motion for Class Certification. For the following reasons, the Court grants in part and denies in part Plaintiffs’ Motion.

BACKGROUND

Defendant Lutheran Brotherhood is a not-for-profit fraternal benefit society organized under the laws of Minnesota for the purpose of issuing insurance products to its members. Defendant sells its life insurance policies through thirty-four general agencies and 1,136 full-time district representatives. In this matter, the Named Plaintiffs purport to represent a class of individuals who either purchased “vanishing premium” life insurance policies or converted existing life insurance policies to the “vanishing premium” policies through Defendant. The life insurance policies at issue here include Defendant’s universal life and traditional life policies. Plaintiffs assert that in 1982, Defendant developed sales illustrations that projected high interest rates over a twenty-year period to create the illusion that policyholders’ obligation to pay out-of-pocket premiums on these life insurance policies would end on the “vanish date” calculated in the illustrations. Plaintiffs assert that in reality, their obligation to pay out-of-pocket premiums did not disappear because actual interest rates were not nearly as high as those projected in Defendant’s illustrations. Plaintiffs assert that as a result of Defendant’s misleading actions, they purchased insurance policies or converted existing policies that now have diminished value, have lapsed, or are underfunded and in danger of lapsing. Plaintiffs further assert that Defendant knew that its policies and illustrations would mislead members, and that the policies were underfunded and would lapse. Accordingly, Plaintiffs bring claims against Defendant for common law breach of fiduciary duty and consumer fraud under Minnesota’s Prevention of Consumer Fraud Act, Minn.Stat. § 325F.69. Given the number of members affected by Defendant’s allegedly fraudulent conduct, Plaintiffs seek to litigate this case as a class action. Plaintiffs ask this Court to certify a class of persons:

to whom, between January 1, 1982 and the present (the “Class Period”), Lutheran Brotherhood sold a life insurance policy through the use of a payment method under which, or written illustrations which projected that, the obligation to pay for any portion of the policy would vanish or be offset by using dividend and/or interest, or cash value from the policy being purchased or any previously owned or inforce policy (the “Class”).

(Pis.’ Mem. at 2.) Defendant opposes certification of this class on various grounds, each of which is discussed fully below.

[458]*458DISCUSSION

Class certification is governed by Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Plaintiffs must meet the requirements of both Rule 23(a) and (b) to be certified as a class. As an initial matter, the Court notes that numerous courts have addressed the issue of whether vanishing premium cases such as this are appropriate class action cases. As Plaintiffs note, many courts have certified this type of litigation and settlement class. See, e.g., In re Prudential Ins. Co. Am. Sales Practices Litig., 148 F.3d 283 (3rd Cir.1998); Spitz v. Connecticut Gen. Life Ins. Co., CV95-3566 HLH (C.D.Cal. Feb. 12, 1997) ; In re Mfrs. Life Ins. Co. Premium Litig., MDL No. 1109 (S.D.Cal. Dec. 21, 1998) ; Duhaime v. John Hancock Mut. Life Ins. Co., 177 F.R.D. 54 (D.Mass.1997); Elkins v. Equitable Life Insurance Co. of Iowa, No. 96-296-CIV-T-17B, 1998 WL 133741 (D.Mass. Jan. 27, 1998); In re New England Mut. Life Ins. Co. Sales Practices Litig., 183 F.R.D. 33 (D.Mass.1998); Snell v. Allianz Life Ins. Co. of N. Am., No. 97-2784, 2000 WL 1336640 (D.Minn. Sept. 8, 2000); In re Prudential Ins. Co. of Am. Sales Practices Litig., 962 F.Supp. 450 (D.N.J.1997); Nickle v. Crown Life Ins. Co., MDL No. 1096, Civ. No. M-96-238 (S.D.Tex. Mar. 19, 1997); Cope v. Metro. Life Ins. Co., 82 Ohio St.3d 426, 696 N.E.2d 1001 (1998); Wilson v. New York Life Ins. Co., 1995 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 652 (N.Y.Sup.Ct. Nov. 8, 1995); Goshen v. The Mut. Life Ins. Co. of New York, No. 95-600466 (N.Y. Sup.Ct. June 7, 1996); Michels v. Phoenix Home Life Mut. Ins. Co., No. 95-5318, 1997 WL 1161145 (N.Y.Sup.Ct. Jan. 3, 1997); Justice v. Great-West Life Assurance Co., No. 94-3155 (Texas Dist. Ct., Dallas County, Aug. 1, 1995).

As Defendant points out, however, other courts, including this court, have held that class certification should not be granted in vanishing premium insurance cases. See, e.g., In re Hartford Sales Practices Litig., 192 F.R.D. 592 (D.Minn.1999); Parkhill v. Minnesota Mut. Life Ins. Co., 188 F.R.D. 332, (D.Minn.1999); Peoples v. Am. Fid. Life Ins. Co., 176 F.R.D. 637 (N.D.Fla.1998); Clarke v. Guardian Life Ins. Co. Am., No. 95-12590-REK (D.Mass. May 28, 1997); In re Jackson Nat’l Life Ins. Co. Premium Litig., 183 F.R.D. 217 (W.D.Mich.1998); Rothwell v. Chubb Life Ins. Co. of Am., 191 F.R.D. 25 (D.N.H.1998); Van West v. Midland Nat’l Life Ins. Co., 199 F.R.D. 448 (D.R.I.2001).

A. Rule 23(a) Analysis

In order to satisfy the threshold requirements of Rule 23(a), the named plaintiffs must establish that: (1) the class is so numerous that joinder of all members is impracticable; (2) there are questions of law or fact common to the class; (3) the claims or defenses of the representative parties are typical of the claims or defenses of the class; and (4) the representative parties will fairly and adequately protect the interests of the class. Fed.R.Civ.P. 23(a); see also Parkhill, 188 F.R.D. at 337. The Court exercises broad discretion in determining whether such criteria are met. Reiter v. Sonotone Corp., 442 U.S. 330, 345, 99 S.Ct. 2326, 60 L.Ed.2d 931 (1979); Parkhill, 188 F.R.D. at 337. In this case, Defendant asserts that Plaintiffs fail to meet all the requirements of Rule 23(a). The Court will address each disputed requirement in turn.

1. Numerosity

Numerosity requires that the proposed class be so numerous that joinder is impractical. Fed.R.Civ.P. 23(a)(1). Courts have established no arbitrary or rigid rules regarding the required size of a class, and what constitutes impracticability depends upon the facts of each case. Parkhill, 188 F.R.D. at 337. Defendant argues in a footnote on the last page of its opposition memorandum that “[pjlaintiffs assert a class definition that, read literally, would encompass hundreds of thousands of people; however they have failed to show that this class can be identified. There is no evidence that there are a significant number of persons within this proposed class, thus failing to show numerosity.” (Def.’s Mem. at 34 n.48.) The Court is not persuaded.

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201 F.R.D. 456, 2001 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13353, 2001 WL 769003, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-lutheran-brotherhood-variable-insurance-products-co-sales-practices-mnd-2001.