Principal National Life Insurance Co. v. Coassin

196 F. Supp. 3d 353, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 97074
CourtDistrict Court, D. Connecticut
DecidedJuly 25, 2016
DocketCivil No. 3:13cv1520 (JBA)
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 196 F. Supp. 3d 353 (Principal National Life Insurance Co. v. Coassin) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Connecticut primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Principal National Life Insurance Co. v. Coassin, 196 F. Supp. 3d 353, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 97074 (D. Conn. 2016).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OF DECISION

Janet Bond Arterton, United States District Judge

On June 14 through 17, 2016, the Court held a bench trial on Plaintiff Principal National Life Insurance Company (“Principal”)’s action against Defendants Emily C. Coassin and Thomas Gibney in their capacities as Co-Trustees of the Lawrence P, Coassin Irrevocable Trust dated 6/23/1999 (“the Trustees”), for rescission of the life insurance policy (“the Policy”) Principal issued to Larry Coassin and for a declaratory judgment that the Policy is void ab initio and Principal is not liable to pay benefits under it, as well as Defendants’ cross-claim for breach of contract and a declaratory judgment of the Trustee’s and Trust’s rights under the policy. For the following reasons, the Court concludes that Mr. Coassin’s knowing misrepresentations on his life insurance application were not material, and as such, the Policy was not void ab initio and Principal did not have a right to rescind it. Judgment is entered in Defendants’ favor on its cross-claim.

I. Background

The following background facts were established at the summary judgment stage. On April 9, 2012, Larry Coassin submitted an application to Principal for a $10,000,000 life insurance policy at a preferred rate to replace a MetLife life insurance- policy for $10,000,000 which Mr. Coassin had been issued in 2011. (See Ruling Mot. Summ. J. [Doc. #90] at 1-2; Policy, Pl.’s Trial Ex. 1.) Among the questions in the application were: No. 18(j) “In the last ten years, have you had, been treated for or diagnosed as having ... any disease or disorder of the eyes, ears, nose, throat or skin?,” to which Mr. Coassin answered “no”; and No. 21 /‘Date last seen” by primary physician and reason, to which Mr. Coassin responded, “Nov 2011 — sinus infection — all fine now.”1 (Ruling Mot. Summ. J. at 2; Policy at 28-29). On April 17, 2012, Principal issued Policy No. 4701113 (“the Policy”) to the Lawrence P. Coassin Revocable Trust dated 6/23/99, effective February 22, 2012 (the Policy was backdated at Mr. Coassin’s request), subject to the requirements that Mr. Coassin complete an Amendment form (“the Amendment”), Supplemental Statement of Health (“the Supplement”), and Acknowledgment and Delivery of Receipt, and pay the first annual premium. (Ruling Mot. Summ. J. at 2.)

The Amendment, signed by Mr. Coassin and then-Trustee David Hadden on April 26, 2012, stated: “With application amended to show response to question 18J, Part B; yes, earache with dizziness, lighthead-edness and vertigo 12/11. Resolved completely without recurrence. No further MD visits needed.” (Id. at 2; see Policy at 21.) The Supplement, also signed by Mr. Coas-sin on April 25, 2012, asked “Have you had any illness or injury or consulted a member of the medical profession since the date of the application?” to which Mr. Coassin responded “no.” (Ruling Mot. Summ. J. at 2; see Policy at 22.) The Policy was issued.the same day. (Ruling Mot. Summ. J. at 2; see Policy Issuance, Pl.’s Trial Ex. 43.)

In fact, the Court found at summary judgment, Mr. Coassin continued to [356]*356experience three of the four symptoms listed in the Amendment after his December 2011 appointment, and he saw Dr. Hirokawa on April 17, 2012 (after the date of his April 9, 2012 application and before he signed the April 25, 2012 Amendment). (Ruling Mot. Summ. J. at 10, 11.) His medical records reveal that he saw Dr. Hirokawa for weakness/fatigue, off balance/dizziness, and lightheadedness, and that because of these symptoms, on April 17, 2012, Dr. Hirokawa referred him for further testing to be conducted on May 8, 2012. {Id.-, see Hirokawa Record Apr. 17, 2012, Pl.’s Trial Ex. 4; Auditory Test Results, PL’s Trial Ex. 5.) The Court thus concluded that Mr. Coassin had made knowing misrepresentations in his application. (Ruling Mot. Summ. J. at 10-11.) However, the Court found genuine issues of material fact with respect to the question of whether Mr. Coassin’s knowing misrepresentations were material, thus necessitating a trial, which addressed only the narrow issue of materiality.2

II. Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law

In making its findings of fact and conclusions of law, the Court applies the following standard of materiality, which it adopted in its summary judgment ruling:

Under Connecticut law, “a fact is material if ‘it would so increase the degree or character of the risk of the insurance as to substantially influence its issuance, or substantially affect the rate of premium.’” F.D.I.C. v. Great Am. Ins. Co., 607 F.3d 288, 295 (2d Cir.2010) (quoting Pinette v. Assurance Co. of Am., 52 F.3d 407, 411 (2d Cir.1995)). “‘The test of materiality is in the effect which the knowledge of the fact in question would have on the making of the contract.’ ” Quinn v. Fed. Kemper Life Assur. Co., 99 F.3d 402, at *2 (2d Cir.1995) (unpublished opinion) (quoting State Bank & Trust Co. v. Connecticut General Life Ins. Co., 109 Conn. 67, 145 A. 565, 566 (1929)).... [A]n answer to a question on an insurance application is presumptively material,” Pinette, 52 F.3d at 411 (emphasis added); see also Great Am. Ins. Co., 607 F.3d at 295 (“[Because the insured’s] prior losses were the subject of specific inquiry, [the insured’s] response is presumptively material”), and an inquiry into whether the insurer would have issued the policy had the applicant been truthful on the application is therefore appropriate, see Quinn, 99 F.3d at *2 (“As Kemper would not have issued the preferred policy to Albert Quinn had he answered the questions truthfully, the misrepresentations were material as a matter of law.”).

Because the Court already held in its summary judgment ruling that Mr. Coas-sin had made knowing misrepresentations in response to questions on his application, a presumption of materiality applies. The burden is thus on Defendants to prove, by a preponderance of the evidence, that Mr. Coassin’s misrepresentations were not material.

With that legal standard in mind, the Court makes the following findings of fact and conclusions of law, based on the evidence presented at trial, with respect to: (1) Mr. Coassin’s medical history up to June 20123; (2) Principal’s contestability [357]*357review; (3) the relevant guidelines; (4) whether Principal would have issued the Policy had it known the true facts; and (5) Defendants’ cross-claim for breach of contract.

A. Coassin’s Medical History

On December 15, 2011, Mr. Coassin saw Dr. Lorenzo Galante, who was his primary care physician at the time, for lightheadedness. (Galante Record Dec. 15, 2011, Defs.’ Trial Ex. 504. at 1.) His records note under “History of Present Illness” that Mr. Coassin was complaining of vertigo which he claimed he had experienced “in the past on and off’ and which he had previously been told was benign positional vertigo (“BPV”). (Id.) Under “Examination,” Dr. Galante noted that he had been “able to reproduce vertigo in the office” when he asked Mr. Coassin “to sit up from [a] laying down position.” (Id.) Under “Assessments,” he wrote, as relevant here, “Dizziness” and “Vertigo.”

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196 F. Supp. 3d 353, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 97074, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/principal-national-life-insurance-co-v-coassin-ctd-2016.