Disability Law

Spencer v. Hartford - 3

By Patrick Hindert

Spencer v. Hartford is a class action civil lawsuit potentially involving more than 9000 plaintiffs who received structured settlement annuities from Hartford insurance subsidiaries. The plaintiffs allege:

• Hartford has conducted a structured settlement program named "Secured Benefit Services" (SBS) since 1992 that violates the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) as well as state laws prohibiting fraud.
• Hartford began a "Broker Assistance Program" (BAP) in 1997 using structured settlement brokers selected by Hartford, who are not named as defendants in the civil class action, to further the mission of the SBS program. 

The case is currently on appeal to the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals following a March 10, 2009 decision by the U.S. District Court in Bridgeport, Connecticut granting plaintiffs' Motion for Class Certification and Appointment of Class Counsel .

Prior S2KM blog posts:

• Spencer v. Hartford - 1 summarizes the case to date including chronology, participants, plaintiffs' allegations, District Court decision and defendants' Petition for Appeal.
  
• Spencer v. Hartford - 2 provides S2KM commentary about the plaintiffs' allegations, potential damages, the NSSTA Code of Ethics, and selected educational discussions from the NSSTA 2009 Winter Meeting.

This S2KM blog identifies and recommends:

• Questions;
• Lessons;
• A proposed solution.

Questions:

• Will the plaintiffs' RICO and state fraud allegations in Spencer v. Hartford be adjudicated or settled?
• How does Hartford, recognized as "one of the World's Most Ethical Companies" and honored for "its products, services, research, philanthropy, and programs supporting individuals with disabilities" justify its SBS and BAP structured settlement programs?
• Did any Hartford employees or participating structured settlement intermediaries (incorrectly called "brokers') question the legality of the SBS and BAP programs?
• Has any structured settlement intermediary, defendant or plaintiff, in any Hartford case ever refused to share or receive annuity commissions from Hartford on account of the SBS and BAP programs?
• Will federal authorities initiate criminal RICO charges against Hartford and the structured settlement intermediaries who participated in Hartford's SBS and BAP programs?
• Should federal officials consider Spencer v. Hartford if and when Hartford applies for federal TARP funds?
• Should any trial attorneys who originally represented Spencer v. Hartford plaintiffs in structured settlements with Hartford be held accountable for their incompetency, lack of due diligence, or poor advice?
• How widespread among insurance companies and structured settlement intermediaries are Hartford's allegedly illegal structured settlement business practices?
• Does Spencer v. Hartford reveal a continuing pattern of industry business behavior consistent with allegations in prior lawsuits, such as Weil v. Manufacturers and Macomber v. Travelers?
• What, if anything, about Spencer v. Hartford causes "shocked disbelief" among structured settlement stakeholders - to borrow a term and line of inquiry from Father Oliver Williams' Ethics Course at the NSSTA 2009 Winter Meeting.
• Regardless of case outcome:
  • What lessons, if any, will the structured settlement industry learn from Spencer v. Hartford?
  • Will Spencer v. Hartford promote the structured settlement industry "wake-up call" Joseph DiGangi recommended when he criticized the traditional business model during his "settlement consulting" discussion at the NSSTA 2009 Winter Meeting?

Lessons

• Structured settlements are complex and involve many laws which sometimes conflict.
• If you are a structured settlement participant and/or stakeholder, you need to understand and obey the laws.
• The traditional structured settlement business model is flawed and promotes inherent conflicts of interests which are rarely identified, discussed or disclosed.
• Structured settlement compensation arrangements generally are not disclosed.
• Most plaintiff trial attorneys lack professional competence to advise their clients about settlement issues.
• Structured settlement stakeholders are not capable of self-regulation.
• The NAIC and state insurance regulators are not capable of regulating structured settlements under current laws, regulatory authority and budgets.

Proposed Solution

• Controlling criteria:
  • Judicial approval of structured settlements;
  • Standards and requirements:
    • Best interest test;
    • Due diligence;
    • Disclosure - compensation and conflicts of interest;
    • Informed consent;
• Laws and regulations
  • Identify, preserve and promote existing structured settlement laws;
  • Improve existing state structured settlement protection statutes;
  • Apply the state protection statutes to the primary market.
  • Better integrate existing structured settlement laws with other government benefits and laws including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Veterans' benefits; and Federal housing.
• New business models
  • Re-define the "claim management" structured settlement business model:
    • Defendants' first priority in structured settlement cases should be a full legal release.
    • If defendants want to participate in settlement planning, they should:
      • Study settlement planning;
      • Understand the laws, products, documentation and participants;
      • Re-organize and re-focus their structured settlement business models.
  • Define and grow the "settlement planning" business model featuring:
    • Qualified settlement funds (QSFs)
    • Structured settlements;
    • Structured settlement annuities - IRC section 130 qualified and non-qualified;
    • Settlement trusts;
    • MSAs;
    • SNTs;
    • New products such as tax-free disability funds;
    • Secondary life and annuity markets.
• Re-learn and re-market structured settlements
  • Re-study structured settlements from a settlement planning perspective;
  • Feature and promote structured settlements as a strategic component for settlement planning learning, certification and business standards.
  • Identify settlement planning knowledge experts and learn about their expertise, work product, professional associations, online communities, networks and learning resources.
  • Design new business models utilizing, and compatible with, existing and emerging Internet technologies.
  • Schedule and require ethics classes focused on structured settlement and settlement planning business conduct;
  • Organize, promote and participate in community service activities with and for disability associations.

Full post as published by Beyond Structured Settlements on April 18, 2009 (boomark / email).