Warren v. Geller

924 F. Supp. 2d 713, 2013 WL 594088, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20937
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Louisiana
DecidedFebruary 15, 2013
DocketCivil Action No. 11-2282
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 924 F. Supp. 2d 713 (Warren v. Geller) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Warren v. Geller, 924 F. Supp. 2d 713, 2013 WL 594088, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20937 (E.D. La. 2013).

Opinion

ORDER AND REASONS

NANNETTE JOLIVETTE BROWN, District Judge.

Before the Court is Defendant Genworth Life and Annuity Insurance Company’s (“Genworth”) Motion for Summary Judgment.1 After considering the motion, the memorandum in support, the opposition, the reply, and the plaintiffs opposition to Genworth’s statement of uncontested facts, the Court will grant in part and deny in part the pending motion.

I. Background

A. Factual Background

Plaintiff Terrell LeBeaux Warren (“Plaintiff’) filed the complaint in this action on September 12, 2011.2 However, on August 21, 2012, Plaintiff filed an amended complaint that supersedes the initial complaint.3 The amended complaint names Benjamin Geller (“Geller”), Arlyn Nelson (“Nelson”), Virginia Insurance Company (“Virginia Insurance”), GE Life and Annuity Assurance Company (“GE”), Genworth, and Continental Casualty Company (“Continental”) as defendants.4 Plaintiff explains that at all pertinent times, Nelson was an “insurance agent broker” for GE, Virginia Life, and/or Genworth, and that all insurance companies “are entangled professionally and by contract, buyouts and mergers.”5 Hereinafter, these three insurance company defendants will be referred to collectively as “Genworth.”

Geller was a sports agent and financial adviser to decedent Frank Warren (“Warren”). Plaintiff is the widow of Frank [716]*716Warren. In 1994, Geller suggested to Warren that he purchase a life insurance policy from Nelson. Plaintiff claims that Nelson and Geller prepared an application for a policy reflecting that the beneficiary was “Frank Warren Irrevocable Trust.” Plaintiff alleges that “Geller and Nelson would later change the beneficiary to Geller as trustee for the Frank Warren Irrevocable Trust.”6

Plaintiff alleges that Nelson represented himself to be a licensed insurance broker, but in fact this was false, and he was not licensed as an agent to sell insurance in the State of Louisiana. Nonetheless, on September 26, 1994, Nelson “prepared and filled out” an application of a $1,000,000 life insurance policy for Warren and mailed the application to Geller. Geller had Warren sign the document in New Orleans, Louisiana, and it was sent back to Geller in Washington State.7

On September 26, 1994 “Nelson then signed the application in Washington State ... purporting to have witnessed the signing of the application document by [Warren]. The document indicates and shows [Warren] signed the document in Washington State.” The document was then sent to the underwriting department of Gen-worth.8

Plaintiff claims that Genworth wrote a policy even though it never received trust documents or a tax identification number, which did not exist because a valid trust was never in fact created. “The premiums on the $1,000,000.00 policy were to be paid by funds generated from the policy by the alleged trustee, Geller on behalf of the alleged trust.” Plaintiff claims that Geller and Warren “had a falling out” and Warren “took steps to protect himself from Geller’s actions.”9 Warren notified Gen-worth that he no longer was represented by Geller, and Genworth informed Warren that he should continue to make his premium payments if he wanted the policy to remain in effect.10

According to Plaintiff, at this time Gen-worth checked its records, and became aware that Nelson never produced the trust document or the tax identification number. Nelson allegedly informed Gen-worth that “he had not submitted the insurance trust documents or tax identification number because there was no trust document or tax identification number.” 11 Upon receiving this information, Plaintiff claims that the billing and underwriting departments of Genworth informed Warren that they had removed Geller from the policy as a beneficiary, and would no longer share or send any information to Geller. Further, the policy was only in Warren’s name now.12

Plaintiff alleges that Genworth “made changes to take Geller out of the loop completely.” This included removing Geller as a beneficiary and removing Geller’s address and inserting Warren’s for all future notices. Warren paid all premiums until his death in 2002. Throughout this time, Genworth did not contact Geller in reference to this trust.

Plaintiff claims that after the events that prompted Genworth to review its records, it knew “that no trust existed, knew that Geller was not involved, and knew or should have known that the owner of the life insurance proceeds, in the event of Frank Warren’s death, would be the estate [717]*717and his heirs, not the alleged Trustee, Geller or the non-existent trust.”13

Nonetheless, upon Warren’s death, Plaintiff alleges that “Nelson and Geller re-entered the picture,” and Nelson made a claim to Genworth for payment of $1,000,000 under the policy to be paid to Geller as trustee. Plaintiff claims that Genworth knew that there 'was no trust and that Geller had not been involved in this transaction for several years. Gen-worth requested again for Nelson to produce the trust documents and tax identification number, but instead Nelson “negligently convinced them to accept his and Geller’s representations, that a trust existed,” and the funds were released to them.14

Plaintiff contends that Genworth breached a contract and a fiduciary duty when it released the funds to Nelson and Geller. Plaintiff also alleges that Nelson and Geller told Warren’s heirs that they would invest the money, but were bound by the trust and would have to abide by it, which the heirs believed.15 Over the years, Plaintiff received monthly payments, and were assured by Geller and Nelson that the funds would be perpetual. However, payments began to decrease, and Plaintiff was “unable to secure valid rational responses from Geller and Nelson.”16

In 2010, Plaintiff retained an attorney who requested records of trust documents and financial statements from Geller and Nelson. Nelson communicated that he did not have the document, but that Geller could provide the information. Plaintiff, still believing there was a trust, had her attorney seek to remove Geller and Nelson as trustees. After some disagreement, Geller and Nelson agreed to resign as trustees.17 According to Plaintiff, Geller refused to provide any documentation of the trust unless Warren’s heirs agreed to execute a document releasing him from all legal ramifications from the Warren family. Nelson “represented that he wanted nothing further to do with the matter.”18 Plaintiffs attorney was finally able to locate the trust account, but discovered that on October 9, 2010, the funds were removed by wire to Geller’s account, and the trust account was closed with a $0.00 balance.19

Plaintiff brings causes of action against Genworth, for breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of due diligence and failure to conduct due diligence, negligence, fraud, and conversion.20

B. Procedural Background

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Bluebook (online)
924 F. Supp. 2d 713, 2013 WL 594088, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20937, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/warren-v-geller-laed-2013.