Cost of Insurance Litigation

Overcharges in your life insurance policy can make you feel like you're financially treading water.

WE CAN HELP.

We advocate for policy owners nationwide, prosecuting claims against life insurance companies for improper “Cost of Insurance” (COI) rate increases and overcharges in connection with policies that contain an investment, interest bearing, or savings component in addition to a death benefit.

Together STUEVE SIEGEL HANSON & SCHIRGER FEIERABEND are Holding Insurance Companies Accountable

Our law firms investigate and pursue claims against life insurance companies for alleged misconduct related to overcharges within permanent life insurance policies. These types of policies can be referred to in several ways:

— Universal Life Insurance

— Flexible Premium Whole Life Insurance

— Variable Universal Life Insurance

— Variable Whole Life Insurance

Typically comprised of hidden expenses – or “loads” – buried within the contractual policy charges, improper overcharges and rate increases cost you, the policy owner, significant money each month and year and drain your policy’s cash value. Simply put: Money that should go to the policy owner’s savings is instead going to the insurance company.

We believe it’s wrong for companies that market financial security to take advantage of consumers’ hard-earned savings, and we’re holding them accountable.

Among Results We Have Secured

— Obtained three jury verdicts in three class action jury trials against Kansas City Life on behalf of Missouri and Kansas policy owners, resulting in judgments of more than $55 million.

— Obtained a jury verdict for $34.3 million in a class action lawsuit against State Farm Life Insurance.

— Secured a $2.25 billion death benefit settlement in a nationwide class action lawsuit against The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company.

— Obtained two nationwide class action settlements with State Farm for $325 million and $65 million on behalf of policy owners alleging the insurer improperly included non-mortality factors in calculating the cost of insurance charge under the insurance contract.

— Settled a nationwide class action lawsuit against Connecticut General Life Insurance Company and The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company for $147.5 million.

— Settled a lawsuit against Symetra Life Insurance Company for $32.5 million on behalf of policy owners in 11 states.

— Settled a nationwide class action lawsuit against John Hancock Life Insurance Company for $59.75 million.

— Settled a lawsuit against USAA Life Insurance Company for $90 million.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is taking action on behalf of life insurance policy owners? What should I do if I suspect there is a problem?

For almost a decade, Stueve Siegel Hanson LLP and Schirger Feierabend LLC (formerly Miller Schirger LLC), two law firms based in Kansas City, have been advancing and resolving claims on behalf of consumers who own “permanent life insurance,” sometimes known as universal, variable universal, whole life, variable whole life or flexible premium policies.

If you believe you are being overcharged by your life insurance company, contact us today by submitting a form or calling 888-816-2108. We will review your policy and related documents free of charge and free of any commitment whatsoever.

Why should life insurance owners and the general public care? What is the harm to individual policy owners?

Improper deductions and overcharges gut the cash value of permanent life insurance policies and force many policy owners to choose between continuing to pay premiums and subject themselves to further overcharges just to keep their insurance, or surrendering policies they’ve paid so much into, but can no longer afford. We believe there are millions of policy owners who are currently being overcharged by many different insurers.

The amount of overcharges that result from this conduct is substantial. In many cases, most of the “cost of insurance” charge is comprised of amounts not permitted by policy terms. This adds up over time. Depending on the size of the policy, “cost of insurance” overcharges can reach amounts in the tens of thousands of dollars, or more. The negative impact of these overcharges increases as policy owners get older, ultimately forcing policy owners to forfeit their “permanent” insurance policies because they can no longer afford them.

What types of life insurance policies may be subject to improper deductions and overcharges?

Permanent life insurance policies – sometimes known as universal, variable universal, whole life, variable whole life or flexible premium policies – contain a “cost of insurance” charge, or a monthly deduction of some sort, that is deducted from a policy’s cash value each month.

How are policy owners being overcharged on these policies?

Buried within a policy’s cost of insurance charge, and other similar charges, may be hidden expenses or “loads” that are not authorized by the terms of the policy. These hidden expense loads ultimately drain the policy’s cash value, forcing policy owners to forfeit policies they can no longer afford. And recently, life insurers also have resorted to instituting massive rate hikes (not authorized by the policy) that have caused an even greater and more rapid decline in policy cash values.

How We Work

We work on a contingency fee basis, which means we are not paid unless we recover money for you. This means our goals match yours: Succeed for you and we succeed ourselves; fail you and we fail ourselves. Along the way, we promise to be responsive, work efficiently, and provide you with consistent updates.

Are You Worried About Your

Life Insurance Policy?

This website is part of a collaborative effort between Stueve Siegel Hanson LLP and Schirger Feierabend LLC (formerly Miller Schirger LLC), both of Kansas City, Missouri. These firms are managing and funding the website and each of the participating firms are working together to represent plaintiffs in many of the states across the country and will refer cases to each other based on region.

This is attorney advertising. The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely upon advertising.

Advertising material sponsored by Stueve Siegel Hanson LLP, 460 Nichols Rd, Suite 200, Kansas City, Mo. 64112.

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