State Farm Life Ins v. Bao
State Farm Life Ins v. Bao
Opinion
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS For the Fifth Circuit
No. 97-10830 Summary Calendar
STATE FARM INSURANCE COMPANY,
Plaintiff - Counter-Defendant,
VERSUS
LA TRINH BAO,
Defendant - Appellee,
VERSUS
LE HONG TRAN,
Defendant - Counter Claimant - Appellant.
Appeal from the United States District Court For the Northern District of Texas (3:96-CV-2909-AH) April 3, 1998
Before DUHÉ, DeMOSS, and DENNIS, Circuit Judges.
PER CURIAM:*
* Pursuant to 5TH CIR. R. 47.5, the Court has determined that this opinion should not be published and is not precedent except under the limited circumstances set forth in 5TH CIR. R. 47.5.4. This is an interpleader action filed by State Farm on October
21, 1996, to bring to court the parties necessary to determine the
appropriate beneficiary of certain life insurance proceeds payable
under the policy which State Farm issued to Hoa Tran ("Hoa") as
named insured, who died June 1, 1996. The insurance proceeds
totaling $101,852.53 were paid into the registry of the court and
State Farm was subsequently dismissed. The policy was originally
issued in August 1995 and named as primary beneficiary was Hoa’s
mother, Tran, and the successive beneficiary was Hoa’s sister. In
January 1996, Hoa executed a change of beneficiary and delivered
the same to the agent of State Farm and by this change of
beneficiary form Hoa named La Trinh Bao Truc ("Truc") as primary
beneficiary and designated his mother as secondary beneficiary and
his sister as successor beneficiary. Hoa and Truc had become
engaged to be married shortly before the change of beneficiary was
executed. Several months after executing the change of
beneficiary, Hoa made a trip to Vietnam where he died. After HOA’s
death both Tran, his mother, and Truc, his fiancé, filed claims
with State Farm for payment of the insurance proceeds. Truc
claimed that as the beneficiary named in the written change of
beneficiary form she was entitled to the proceeds. Tran claimed
that the change of beneficiary form had been executed by Hoa as a
result of undue influence, misrepresentation and fraud perpetrated
by Truc. Both parties moved for summary judgment and the dispute
was submitted to the magistrate judge by agreement. The magistrate
2 judge ruled that Tran failed to offer competent summary judgment
evidence which was sufficient to raise a genuine issue of material
fact as to her contentions regarding fraud, misrepresentation and
undue influence. Accordingly, the magistrate judge granted
judgment for Truc. Tran filed a timely appeal to this Court.
We have carefully reviewed the brief,2 and the record excerpts
and relevant portions of the record itself. For the reasons stated
in the magistrate judge’s Memorandum Opinion and Order filed under
date of June 6, 1997, we conclude that the Final Judgment filed on
June 18, 1997, should be, and the same is, hereby
AFFIRMED.
2 Tran, the appellant, filed a brief and record excerpts; but Truc filed no brief.
3
Reference
- Status
- Unpublished