Wilson Farm, Inc. v. Berkshire Life Insurance

15 Mass. L. Rptr. 423
CourtMassachusetts Superior Court
DecidedOctober 31, 2002
DocketNo. 985069
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 15 Mass. L. Rptr. 423 (Wilson Farm, Inc. v. Berkshire Life Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Massachusetts Superior Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wilson Farm, Inc. v. Berkshire Life Insurance, 15 Mass. L. Rptr. 423 (Mass. Ct. App. 2002).

Opinion

Brassard, J.

Introduction

Plaintiffs filed this eleven-count complaint on October 9, 1998, seeking relief in the form of rescission of insurance policies and a refund of all premiums paid, actual and treble damages, and a judgment declaring that plaintiffs’ May 1998 rejection of the insurance policies was valid.

Plaintiff Wilson Farm, Inc. (“Wilson Farm”) is a farming business owned and operated by members of the Wilson Family. Donald Wilson (“Donald”) is the Treasurer, co-General Manager and 34% owner of Wilson Farm. He has also served on the boards of several other companies. His cousin, Alan Wilson (“Alan”), is also an executive and 34% owner of Wilson Farm. Their wives and sons are also employees of Wilson Farm, and the sons own the remaining shares of the business. (Donald, Alan, their spouses, and sons are collectively referred to as the “Wilson Family” herein.)

Plaintiff William Cutter (“Cutter”) is the trustee of four trusts created by the Wilson Family, and is the nominal owner of the subject insurance policies. The trusts are the beneficiaries of these policies. Cutter worked as an accountant for Wilson Farm from 1949 until 1993. The subject policies were purchased before his retirement, but he has continued to act as trustee for them ever since.

Defendant Richard Gleason (“Gleason”) is an insurance agent who sold the subject policies as an agent of defendant Berkshire Life Insurance Company (“Berkshire”). Neither defendant has contended that Berkshire is not liable for the actions of Gleason in this case.

Defendants have moved for summary judgment on all counts of the complaint. For the reasons set forth below, this motion is ALLOWED as to Counts I, II, IE, IV and X and DENIED as to Counts V, VI, VII, IX, and XI. The motion is ALLOWED IN PART and DENIED IN PART as to Count VIE. The Court declares and enters judgment that plaintiffs did not validly reject the Berkshire Policies on May 20,1998, that the Berkshire Policies are not void ab initio, and that the plaintiffs are not entitled to a refund of all premiums paid on the Berkshire Policies.

Background

The following facts are taken from the summary judgment record, including the depositions and affidavits, and are summarized in a light most favorable to plaintiffs.

This dispute arises from the sale of insurance policies in 1989 and 1990. The Wilson Family was concerned about tax issues related to their estates, in the event that Donald, Alan or their wives, Betty and Carolyn (collectively the “Senior Wilsons”), died.

Donald had an ongoing business relationship with Gleason, as Gleason was the trustee for a Wilson Farm profit-sharing plan (“the Plan”). Gleason and Donald first met in 1987 to discuss the concerns that Donald had with the cost of insurance policies owned by the Plan, taken on the lives of Wilson Farm employees. These policies were issued by The New England Life Insurance Company (these policies wiU hereafter be referred to as the “New England Policies”). Gleason recommended that the Plan cease to pay for these policies, but that each employee be given the opportunity to purchase his or her poficy from the Plan. On Gleason’s recommendations, the Senior Wilsons purchased their New England Policies from the Plan in order to keep them in effect. Thereafter, Gleason and his associate, Margaret Goulet (“Goulet”), remained involved in the administration of the Plan and continued to meet with Donald every four to six weeks.

In 1989, while meeting about the administration of the Plan, Cutter mentioned the Wilson Family’s estate tax concerns to Gleason. Gleason prepared an analysis of the Wilson Family’s tax needs and then met with Donald to recommend that the Senior Wilsons purchase additional life insurance policies from Berkshire (the “Berkshire Policies”), the benefits of which would be used to pay estate taxes. Donald agreed that life insurance policies would be an appropriate tool for estate planning, but was concerned about how much money he would be paying each year for the policies. Donald claims that he wanted the premiums to remain at the same cost each year. Gleason claims that Donald only wanted the out-of-pocket costs for the Berkshire Policies to remain level.

The Berkshire Policies that Gleason eventuaUy sold to Cutter, on behaIf of the four trusts, had premiums that increased each year. However, Gleason set up a system in which the cash values of the New England Policies, other Senior Wilson life insurance policies from Guardian Life Insurance Company (“Guardian Policies”), and later the Berkshire Policies themselves, were borrowed against and appHed towards the cost of the premiums of the Berkshire Policies, thus keeping the out-of-pocket expenses level. Donald claims he never knew that the cash values would be used to keep the amount paid each year level, and maintains that he was told that the actual premiums would remain level each year. The death benefits of the policies were $1,500,000 each for Donald and Alan, and $300,000 for each of their wives.

The Senior Wilsons created four trusts to own the Berkshire Policies. Before the policies, could be issued, the Senior Wilsons had to sign applications. Gleason and Goulet cofiected information from the Senior Wil[425]*425sons and Cutter and prepared the applications for them. These applications are labeled “Flex 15,” but do not state that the premiums would increase. The Senior Wilsons signed the applications and Gleason and Goulet arranged for them to be processed. In January and February of 1990 Berkshire issued the Berkshire Policies.

For varying reasons, the Berkshire Policies required amendments. When a policy requires amendment, the policyholder is required to sign the amendment. Gleason and Goulet took the amendments to Wilson Farm for the Senior Wilsons to sign. Gleason and Goulet testified that at the time the Senior Wilsons signed these amendments, the policies were attached. None of the Senior Wilsons remembers whether the policies were attached or not. Donald, Alan and their wives each testified that he or she simply signed what each was told to sign, without reading the papers. By the fall of 1990 all of the Berkshire Policies had been issued and all amendments signed.

Goulet claims that after the amendments were signed she sent a binder, containing all of the Berkshire Policies, to Cutter. The Senior Wilsons and Cutter claim that neither Cutter nor any of the Senior Wilsons received the Berkshire Policies at that time. Cutter and the Senior Wilsons claim to have never seen or read the Berkshire Policies until May of 1998. The Berkshire Policies clearly indicate increasing premiums for each year up to year sixteen. Page one of each policy states that the premiums will increase, and also contains a schedule demonstrating this increase.

Each year Donald, on behalf of Wilson Farm, received bills from Berkshire for the premiums.1 Each bill showed the premium due and the Berkshire dividend which was used to offset a portion of the premium. Each year Donald personally caused Wilson Farm to pay these bills. He also received annual checks from loans against the cash values of the New England Policies and the Guardian Policies, which he deposited into Wilson Farm accounts. Every year Donald and Cutter each received annual statements from Gleason showing the premiums and cash values on all of the Berkshire Policies. Donald also received and reviewed annual statements from Gleason showing the cash value in each of the New England Policies.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
15 Mass. L. Rptr. 423, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wilson-farm-inc-v-berkshire-life-insurance-masssuperct-2002.