Chrtistopher Y. Meek v. Kansas City Life Insurance Company

Kansas City, Missouri insurance law lawyer represented the Plaintiff who sued on a breach of contract theory.



About forty years ago, Meek bought a "universal life insurance” policy. It

combined two products into one, a standard life-insurance policy with a savings

account. The premiums that Meek paid each month went directly into the savings

account, which Kansas City Life debited to cover monthly charges, including the

"cost of insurance.” Anything left over increased the "cash value” of the account,

which Meek would receive if he surrendered the policy. The higher the cost of

insurance and the other expenses, the lower the cash value.



The cost of insurance expressly included four factors: a policyholder's "sex,

age[,] . . . risk class,” and "expect[ed] . . . future mortality experience.” But,

according to Meek, Kansas City Life introduced a fifth one, profits and expenses,

which the policy did not mention. Faced with a lower cash value, Meek filed a

federal lawsuit for breach of contract and conversion. Not long after, the district

court certified a class of about 6,000 Kansans with Meek as lead plaintiff.

Both side

Defendant was awarded $1 million in damages.



Affirmed