Prudential Ins. Co. of America v. Stephens, Civ. A. No. 80-90-NN.

• Decision Date: 15 October 1980
• Docket Number: Civ. A. No. 80-90-NN.
• Citation: 498 F. Supp. 155
• Parties: The PRUDENTIAL INSURANCE COMPANY OF AMERICA, Plaintiff, v. John C. STEPHENS, Jr., Administrator of the Estate of Margaret M. Alexander, Deceased, Ethel E. Ligen, and John W. Parker, Defendants.
• Court: U.S. District Court — Eastern District of Virginia

498 F. Supp. 155

The PRUDENTIAL INSURANCE COMPANY OF AMERICA, Plaintiff, v. John C. STEPHENS, Jr., Administrator of the Estate of Margaret M. Alexander, Deceased, Ethel E. Ligen, and John W. Parker, Defendants.

Civ. A. No. 80-90-NN.

United States District Court, E. D. Virginia, Newport News Division.

October 15, 1980.

Lewis T. Booker, Hunton & Williams, Richmond, Va., Gregory N. Stillman, Hunton & Williams, Norfolk, Va., for plaintiff.

S. M. Franck, Williamsburg, Va., for Stephens, Adm. and Ligen.

Stephen D. Harris, McGuire, Woods & Battle, Williamsburg, Va., and L. T. Hamrick, Hamrick, Mauney & Flowers, Shelby, N. C., for Parker.

OPINION AND ORDER

CLARKE, District Judge.

This matter comes to the Court on plaintiff Prudential Insurance Company of America's ("Prudential" or "the insurer") Bill of Complaint and Interpleader. The facts are undisputed. On May 16, 1975, Hillman J. Alexander obtained from Prudential a policy on his life in the amount of $4,000.00, naming Margaret M. Alexander, his wife, as the sole beneficiary. On July 20, 1976, Mr. Alexander assigned ownership of this policy to his wife. Prudential approved this assignment on July 30, 1976, and, on the same date, Hillman J. Alexander changed the beneficiary to "Margaret M. Alexander ..., wife of the insured, if living, otherwise to the estate of said wife." Margaret M. Alexander died intestate on April 28, 1979, leaving Hillman J. Alexander as her sole heir. On May 3, 1979, before qualifying as the administrator of his wife's estate, Hillman J. Alexander executed a change of beneficiary Form 9082 in the presence of a Prudential agent, naming John W. Parker as the primary beneficiary of the policy in question. Prudential received this form and, on June 12, 1979, returned it to its local agent, accompanied by a memorandum indicating that another Form 9082 needed to be completed by the administrator or executor of Margaret M. Alexander's estate before the change of beneficiary could be processed. Mr. Alexander died on July 1, 1980, before receiving this information from Prudential's agent. On February 4, 1980, John C. Stephens qualified as the first administrator of Margaret M. Alexander's estate. He never attempted to change the beneficiary of the policy. Because of the conflicting claims against the policy, Prudential tendered the sum of $4228.90 payable under the policy to the registry of this Court, which sum was deposited in the registry by our Order of April 29, 1980.

The sole issue before this Court is whether Hillman J. Alexander's change of beneficiary was legally effective, thus entitling John W. Parker to the proceeds of the policy upon Mr. Alexander's death, or whether this change had no legal effect, thus entitling the estate of Margaret M. Alexander to the proceeds.

In Virginia, the general rule is that legal title to personal property of the deceased passes directly to the personal representative and that nothing passes to the heirs or legatees until distribution by this representative. See Broaddus v. Broaddus, 144 Va. 727, 130 S.E. 794 (1925); Strader v. Metropolitan Life Insurance Co., 128 Va. 238, 105 S.E. 74 (1920); Brent v. Washington's Administrator, 59 Va. (18 Gratt.) 526 (1868). By authorization of specific sections of the Code of Virginia, however, certain specific items of personal property may be transferred to the spouse or distributees of the deceased without the intervention of a duly qualified executor or administrator. See Va.Code § 6.1-71 (Cum.Supp.1980) (bank accounts not exceeding five thousand dollars); Va.Code §§ 64.1-123, -123.1, -124 to -127 (Repl.Vol.1980) (small amounts due from the State or from various governmental or private institutions, livestock and dead victuals, personal items of a householder that would have been exempt from his debts under section 34-26 if he were alive, and personal property of a householder engaged in agriculture that would have been exempt from his debts under section 34-27 if he were alive). Additionally, a decedent's legatee or distributee, after complying with certain statutory requirements, may transfer title to a motor vehicle and to certain vessels registered with the United States Bureau of Customs if there has been no qualification on the decedent's estate. Va.Code §§ 46.1-91 (Repl.Vol.1974), 64.1-123.2 (Repl.Vol.1980). Finally, it is provided that, prior to qualification, the powers of an executor or administrator are limited to providing for the burial of the decedent, payment of reasonable funeral expenses, and the performance of acts necessary to preserve the estate. See Monroe v. James, 18 Va. (4 Munf.) 194 (1814); Va.Code § 64.1-136 (Repl.Vol.1980).

At the time of her death, Margaret M. Alexander was the owner of the policy in question. At that moment, title to the policy passed to her administrator whenever he may qualify as such, not to her husband, Hillman J. Alexander, in his capacity as the sole heir of her estate. Although her husband was preferred by statute for appointment as administrator of her estate, he had to apply to qualify as administrator. Va. Code § 64.1-118 (Repl.Vol.1980). Because he never qualified, title to the policy never passed to him, and any act of dominion he exercised over the policy, other than those acts specifically permitted by statute, had no legal effect. A change of the beneficiary of a life insurance policy does not fall within the previously enumerated narrow categories of permitted acts. Furthermore, the contract itself provides that no change of beneficiary is effective until accepted by the insurer. The change of beneficiary submitted by Mr. Alexander was properly rejected by Prudential because Mr. Alexander lacked the legal authority to make such a change; acceptance of this change of beneficiary might have subjected Prudential to liability to the Estate of Margaret M. Alexander. Her estate had no qualified administrator until February 4, 1980, and this...