Filed: Jun. 29, 2007
Latest Update: Feb. 21, 2020
Summary: , FUSTE, District Judge.summary judgment in favor of Appellees.contained in the Lifetime Benefit rider purchased by Appellant.policy shall apply to this amount.Benefit rider explicitly states that it will not.the grounds advanced by the district court.
Not for Publication in West's Federal Reporter
United States Court of Appeals
For the First Circuit
No. 06-2699
MELVIN PROSTKOFF, M.D.
Plaintiff, Appellant,
v.
THE PAUL REVERE LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
AND UNUM PROVIDENT CORPORATION,
Defendants, Appellees.
APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
[Hon. Paul J. Barbadoro, U.S. District Judge]
Before
Torruella and Lynch, Circuit Judges,
and Fusté,* District Judge.
William L. Chapman, with whom Jennifer A. Eber and Orr & Reno,
P.A., were on brief, for appellant.
Byrne J. Decker, with whom Pierce Atwood LLP was on brief, for
appellees.
June 29, 2007
*
Of the District of Puerto Rico, sitting by designation.
FUSTE, District Judge. Appellant Melvin Prostkoff, M.D.,
filed a petition against Appellees, Paul Revere Life Insurance
Company and its parent company, Unum Provident Corporation, seeking
declaratory judgment that his insurance policy entitles him to cost
of living increases on his disability benefits for the duration of
his life. Appellant now appeals the district court’s grant of
summary judgment in favor of Appellees. “We review a district
court’s grant of summary judgment de novo, examining all the facts
and making all reasonable inferences in favor of the non-moving
party.” N.H. Ins. Co. v. Dagnone,
475 F.3d 35, 37 (1st Cir. 2007).
Appellant argues that we should vacate the district
court’s judgment and find that he is entitled to receive cost of
living increases on his disability payments for his lifetime because
his insurance policy is ambiguous and the ambiguity must be
construed in his favor. See Concord Hosp. v. N. H. Med. Malpractice
Joint Underwriting Ass’n,
633 A.2d 1384, 1386 (N.H. 1993).
Specifically, Appellant alleges that, although the Cost of Living
Benefit rider explicitly states that no increases in cost of living
benefits will be made after the insured’s sixty-fifth birthday, the
policy is ambiguous because of allegedly contradictory statements
contained in the Lifetime Benefit rider purchased by Appellant.
The Lifetime Benefit rider provides that policy holders
will continue to receive a monthly payment after age sixty-five.
The rider states that “[t]he monthly amount is the amount shown on
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the Policy Schedule. Any cost of living benefit rider added to your
policy shall apply to this amount.” Appellant argues that this
language implies that the cost of living benefit should continue to
increase after he turns sixty-five, even though the Cost of Living
Benefit rider explicitly states that it will not. Appellees counter
that the Lifetime Benefit rider states only that Appellant will
continue to receive cost of living benefits after age sixty-five,
but not increases. In other words, the amount of the cost of living
benefits shall be frozen at the amount received by Appellant just
prior to his sixty-fifth birthday, as stated in the Cost of Living
Benefit rider.
We agree with Appellees and the district court that the
language in both the Lifetime Benefits rider and the Cost of Living
Benefit rider is clear and unambiguous. We, therefore, affirm the
district court’s decision to grant summary judgment to Appellees on
the grounds advanced by the district court.
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