Sun Life & Health Insurance v. Colavito

14 F. Supp. 3d 176, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 42542, 2014 WL 1613201
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedMarch 28, 2014
DocketNo. 11-CV-5225 (KMK)
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 14 F. Supp. 3d 176 (Sun Life & Health Insurance v. Colavito) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sun Life & Health Insurance v. Colavito, 14 F. Supp. 3d 176, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 42542, 2014 WL 1613201 (S.D.N.Y. 2014).

Opinion

OPINION & ORDER

KENNETH M. KARAS, District Judge:

Sun Life and Health Insurance Company (U.S.) (“Sun Life”) brought this Inter-pleader Complaint against Kathleen Colav-ito, Domenic Colavito, and Teresa Mamone Colavito, to determine the proper distribution of benefits from a life-insurance policy held by Matthew Colavito. (See Am. Compl. (Dkt. No. 3).) In their Answer, Claimants Domenic Colavito and Teresa [178]*178Mamone Colavito (“Nonmovants”) sought a judgment declaring themselves, collectively, to be the sole beneficiaries of the policy. (See Answer to First Am. Inter-pleader Compl. & Req. for Declaratory J. 5 (Dkt. No. 6).) In her Answer, Claimant Kathleen Colavito (“Movant” or “Kathleen”) sought a judgment declaring her to be the sole beneficiary. (See Answer to First Am. Interpleader Compl. & Req. for Declaratory J. 5 (Dkt. No. 8).)

Before the Court is Kathleen Colavito’s Motion for Summary Judgment, wherein she seeks a judgment “declaring that she is the rightful beneficiary/owner of the proceeds” of the policy. (Notice of Mot. for Summ. J. (“Mot”) 1 (Dkt. No. 24).) For the reasons stated below, the Court grants the Motion.

I. Background

A. Factual History

For the purposes of evaluating this Motion, the following facts are not in dispute. Matthew Colavito (“Matthew”) and Teresa Mamone Colavito (“Teresa”) were married in September 1986 and had a son, Domenic Colavito (“Domenic”), in September 1988. (See Decl. of Att’y Jeffrey A. Hoerter, in Supp. of Mot. for Summ. J. (“Mot. Deck”) at ¶¶ 3-4 (Dkt. No. 26).) In December 1988, Matthew and Teresa entered into a separation agreement, and in September 1991, they entered into a settlement agreement (“Settlement Agreement”), which was later incorporated into a judgment of divorce. (See id. ¶¶ 5-6; id. Ex. 1 (Settlement Agreement).) In August 2000, Matthew married Kathleen. (See id. ¶ 7.)

Approximately seven years later, in October 2007, Matthew accepted a position as a Working Supervisor of Facilities at the Dutchess County Board of Cooperative Educational Services (“BOCES”). (See id. ¶8.) Thereinafter, Matthew enrolled in a number of benefits programs associated with his new position. In particular, on October 22, 2007, Matthew completed and signed RS Form 5420-1, which enrolled Matthew in a death-benefits program provided by the New York State and Local Retirement System (“NYSLRS”). (See id. ¶ 10.) In doing so, he designated Kathleen as the sole primary beneficiary and Do-menic as the sole contingent beneficiary. (See id. Ex. 4 (NYSLRS Membership Registration Form).) Furthermore, on October 26, 2007, Matthew completed and signed a form entitled “Genworth Financial Enrollment Request,” wherein he elected to enroll in a life-insurance policy and designated Kathleen as the sole primary beneficiary and Domenic as the sole contingent beneficiary. (See id. ¶ 12; id. Ex. 6 (Genworth Financial Enrollment Request).) The Parties do not dispute that this enrollment request resulted in Matthew’s enrollment in the life-insurance policy at issue in this Interpleader Action, brought by Sun Life.1 Finally, around the same time, Matthew also enrolled in a life-insurance policy provided by the School Administrator’s Association of New York State (“School Administrators Association”). (See id. ¶ 17.)2

[179]*179Two years later, in September 2009, Kathleen instituted divorce proceedings against Matthew. (See id. ¶ 14.) Approximately one month earlier, on August 11, 2009, Matthew executed a form entitled “□Designation of Beneficiary with Contingent Beneficiariesf] to the [NYSLRS].” (See id. ¶ 15; id. Ex. 7 (NYSLRS Designation of Beneficiary With Contingent Beneficiaries Form).) Although the Parties offer slightly different characterizations of this event, they both agree that “[b]y filing [this] form,” Matthew “effected a change of his designated primary beneficiaries of his [NYSLRS] death benefit, from [Kathleen] to [Domenic] and [Teresa].” 3 (Id. ¶ 16; see also Claimants Do-menic Colavito & Teresa Mamone Colavito Resp. to Claimant Kathleen Colavito’s Statement of Facts (“Opp. Decl”) ¶ 16 (Dkt. No. 28) (admitting the facts as stated in Movant’s declaration).)

Furthermore, on December 18, 2009, Matthew executed a form entitled “Insurance Beneficiary Designation” and submitted it to the School Administrators Association, in which form Matthew designated Domenic and Teresa both as primary beneficiaries of the life-insurance policy provided by that organization. (See Mot. Decl. ¶ 17; id. Ex. 8 (Insurance Beneficiary Designation form).)

Before his divorce proceedings with Kathleen were resolved, Matthew died on January 5, 2011. (See Mem. of Law (“Mot. Mem.”) at 4 (Dkt. No. 26); Mem. of Law (“Opp.”) at 1 (Dkt. No. 27).) Subsequently, Kathleen, Domenic, and Teresa all filed separate claims for the proceeds due from the Sun Life policy. (See Am. Compl. ¶¶ 13-15.)

B. Procedural History

Sun Life filed its first Interpleader Complaint on July 27, 2011, (see Dkt. No. [180]*1801), and then filed an Amended Complaint on August 4, 2011, (see First Am. Inter-pleader Compl. & Req. for Declaratory J. (“Interpleader Compl.”) (Dkt. No. 3)). On September 19, 2011, Nonmovants filed an Answer, in which they sought a judgment declaring them “the true and lawful beneficiaries of the Sun Life insurance proceeds.” (Answer to First Am. Inter-pleader Compl. & Req. for Declaratory J. at 5 (Dkt. No. 6).) In her Answer, filed September 20, 2011, Kathleen sought a judgment declaring her “the only proper lawful claimant under the terms of the policy.” (Answer to First Am. Interpleader Compl. & Req. for Declaratory J. at 5 (Dkt. No. 8).)

On January 4, 2012, pursuant to a “Stipulation of Dismissal” signed by the Parties, Sun Life agreed, inter alia, to deposit $100,000 (the total amount of the policy) into the registry of the Court. (See Dkt. No. 11 (Stipulation of Dismissal with Prejudice as to PI. Sun Life & Health Ins. Co. (U.S.) Only).) The Court subsequently dismissed Sun Life from the litigation with prejudice. (See id.) Nonmovants then filed two amended answers to the Amended Complaint. The first, filed on July 27, 2012, (see Am. Answer to First Am. Inter-pleader Compl. & Req. for Declaratory J. (Dkt. No. 19)), was timely filed pursuant to the Court’s Scheduling Order giving the Parties until July 27, 2012, to amend their pleadings. (See Dkt. No. 18.) The second, filed on August 7, 2012, (see Second Am. Answer to First Am. Interpleader Compl. & Req. for Declaratory J. (“Second Amended Answer”) (Dkt. No. 20)), was properly filed pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 15, which allows a party to “amend its pleading once as a matter of course within ... 21 days after serving it.” Fed.R.CivJP. 15(a)(1)(A).

In their Second Amended Answer, Non-movants pled their declaratory-judgment claim in substantially the same fashion as they did in their original Answer. (See Second Amended Answer at 4-5, 7).

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14 F. Supp. 3d 176, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 42542, 2014 WL 1613201, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sun-life-health-insurance-v-colavito-nysd-2014.