Unum Group v. Benefit Partnership, Inc.

938 F. Supp. 2d 177, 2013 WL 1497262, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 52232
CourtDistrict Court, D. Massachusetts
DecidedApril 11, 2013
DocketCivil Action No. 11-11646-RGS
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 938 F. Supp. 2d 177 (Unum Group v. Benefit Partnership, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Massachusetts primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Unum Group v. Benefit Partnership, Inc., 938 F. Supp. 2d 177, 2013 WL 1497262, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 52232 (D. Mass. 2013).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER ON UNUM GROUP AND PROVIDENT LIFE AND ACCIDENT INSURANCE COMPANY’S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGEMENT

STEARNS, District Judge.

Plaintiffs Unum Group and Provident Life and Accident Insurance Company (collectively, Unum) brought this action primarily seeking the reimbursement of advance commissions paid to The Benefit Partnership, Inc. (Benefit Partnership) and Michael P. Ippolito in connection with the solicitation of applications for life insurance policies. In its Verified Amended Complaint, Unum asserts claims for breach of contract (Count I), breach of fiduciary duty (Count II), negligence (Count III), violations of Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 93A (Chapter 93A) (Count IV), reach and apply (Count V), trustee process (Count IV), and constructive trust (Count VII).1 Presently before the court is Unum’s motion for summary judgment on the breach of contract, negligence, and [180]*180Chapter 93A claims. A hearing on the motion was held on March 26, 2013. For reasons to be explained, the motion will be granted in part and denied in part.

BACKGROUND2

Unum Group, through its subsidiaries, including Provident Life and Accident Insurance Company, offers disability, long term care, life, and voluntary insurance products. Beginning in May of 2011, Unum entered into a series of agreements with Ippolito and the Benefit Partnership, a company of which Ippolito was the sole owner and director, president, treasurer, and secretary. In the agreements, defendants contracted to provide a range of services in connection with the sale of a life insurance product offered by Unum to employees of the Premier Financial Group and The People’s Ministry. Unum in turn agreed to pay defendants commissions for issued policies, including advance commissions for the first year that the policies were in force.

Over the next two and a half months, Unum issued 674 policies and advanced defendants $1,213,749.07 in commission payments. When, according to Unum, it subsequently learned that none of the policy applicants met the eligibility requirements, all of the policies were surrendered or cancelled. Unum then demanded that defendants pay back the advance commissions. Unum has to date recovered $150,000. Seeking the return of the remaining $1,063,749.07, Unum filed this lawsuit.

The Agreements

The agreements entered into by the parties included an Administrative Services Agreement, a General Agent Contract, an Advance Commission Program Amendment to the General Agent Contract, two Voluntary Workplace Benefits Commission Agreements, and two Enrollment Document of Understanding Voice Recording Authorizations. Unum entered into the Administrative Services Agreement with the Benefit Partnership on May 17, 2011. In exchange for a fee, the Benefit Partnership agreed to manage all billing and collection services relating to the insurance policies issued by Unum, including coordinating and collecting the appropriate employer payment or employee payroll deduction and remitting the payments to Unum. See Administrative Services Agreement, Preamble. The Benefit Partnership further agreed to defend Unum against any claim, damage, or penalty incurred as a result of its breach of the agreement or because of the gross negligence of its officers, directors, employees, or agents. See id. ¶ 4.a.

Two days after the execution of the Administrative Services Agreement with the Benefit Partnership, Unum entered into a separate General Agent Contract with Ippolito. The General Agent Contract authorized Ippolito to solicit and service insurance policies on Unum’s behalf. See General Agent Contract ¶ 2. Ippolito was also authorized to recruit “subbrokers” to solicit policies and submit applications through him. Id. ¶ 4(h). To the extent Ippolito elected to utilize subbrokers, he was required, among other things, to “[supervise the Subbrokers with respect to solicitation” and to “[p]rovide reasonable supervision designed to ensure that Subbrokers do not violate any [Unum] policies and procedures or any laws, rules, or regulations of any federal, state or local government, department or bureau having jurisdiction.” Id. ¶¶ 4(h)(2), 4(h)(4). Ip[181]*181polito was also required to screen applications submitted to him for completeness. Id. ¶ 4(h)(6). Ippolito did not have the authority to modify or waive any of the terms or conditions of the applications or policies without Unum’s written consent. Id. ¶ 5(a).

Ippolito was eligible to be paid a commission on each policy he brought to Unum. Pursuant to an Advance Commission Program Amendment to the General Agent Contract, Provident Life agreed to advance Ippolito 40% of his share of the annualized first year commission at the time a policy was issued. See Advance Commission Amendment ¶ 1. Under a clawback provision of the agreement, Ippolito was required to “[pjromptly repay to [Unum] (1) any compensation paid on policies which are rescinded with a return of premiums and (2) any compensation advanced by [Unum] with respect to policies returned during any applicable ‘right to examine’ period.” General Agent Contract ¶ 4(e). Ippolito was required to “refund pro-rata to [Unum] compensation on premiums refunded for any reason at the same rate at which compensation was originally paid.” Id. ¶ 7. Ippolito further acknowledged in the Advance Commission Program Amendment that the amounts advanced to him were subject to a right of setoff for any amounts owed by him to Provident Life, and were subject to a lien by Provident Life against any indebtedness owed by him pursuant to the General Agent Agreement. Advance Commission Program Amendment ¶ 1. The agreement specified that indebtedness included any advances to Ippolito of first year commissions, interest, and any collection expenses, including attorney’s fees in the event legal action was required to collect indebtedness. Id. ¶¶ 1, 7; see also id. ¶¶ 4-5 (explaining interest calculation).

Also on May 19, 2011, Unum and Ippolito entered into a Voluntary Workplace Benefits Commission Agreement, pursuant to which Ippolito agreed that commissions with respect to policies issued by Unum for Premier Financial Group would be split between him and the Benefit Partnership. A similar agreement was entered into on July 20, 2011 with respect to The People’s Ministry. Correspondence between Ippolito and Unum later confirmed that the Benefit Partnership was to receive 100% of the commissions generated from the states in which it was licensed, and Ippolito was to receive 100% of the commissions from the remaining states.

In anticipation of the offerings at Premier Financial Group and The People’s Ministry, Unum prepared plan offerings detailing the plans’ eligibility requirements and coverage. A Plan Offering for voluntary benefits for the Premier Financial Group employees (Premier Plan Offering), prepared by Unum on April 20, 2011, indicated that the offering was limited to full time employees, defined as employees “actively at work for a minimum of 20 hours per week ... [and] actively at work at the time of application.” Premier Plan Offering at 3. The Premier Plan also stated Unum’s understanding, based on information provided by the Benefit Partnership and Ippolito, that Premier Financial Group had 550 employees, all of whom were eligible to enroll in the voluntary benefits plan. The Plan Offering for The People’s Ministry (The People’s Ministry Offering) prepared on June 24, 2011, incorporated the same full-time, active work requirement. See

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
938 F. Supp. 2d 177, 2013 WL 1497262, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 52232, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/unum-group-v-benefit-partnership-inc-mad-2013.