Owners of certain Brighthouse Life Insurance universal life policies do not have to file anything to share in a $9.25 million class settlement. The money is not close, though. Payments are conditioned on a federal judge’s approval and the end of any appeals, and the settlement site lists a final hearing on January 26, 2027.
Who counts as a class member
The case is Martin v. Brighthouse Life Insurance Company, No. 1:21-cv-02923, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. The settlement website, run by the administrator Epiq and last updated October 14, says the class is owners and former owners of a universal life policy issued or administered by Brighthouse in any of the 50 states, Puerto Rico or a U.S. territory.
Two conditions narrow that. The policy must contain the language “We will base these rates only on our future outlook for mortality and expenses,” and it must have been in force as of April 6, 2021. Georgia-issued ULXP86 and ULXP88 policies are excluded, and the site lists 22 policy types in all.
That is where the old names come in. The settlement FAQ says the claims run against Brighthouse and its predecessors, MetLife Insurance Company USA, MetLife Insurance Company of Connecticut and Travelers Insurance Company. A policy bought years ago from MetLife or Travelers may therefore be Brighthouse’s today.
The class is not limited to people who still hold a policy. Former owners count too, because the site defines the class as those who own or owned a covered policy that was in force on April 6, 2021. Someone who surrendered or let a policy lapse after that date may still be in the group, and the administrator is the one to ask.
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Whether a given policy is one of the 22 listed types is a question for the administrator. Epiq’s toll-free number is 1-877-318-7068, and the site warns against calling the court or its clerk about the settlement.
What the lawsuit says about insurance charges
Cost of insurance rates, known as COI rates, are what the insurer charges for the coverage inside a universal life policy. The plaintiff alleges Brighthouse and its predecessors did not lower those COI rates even as mortality expectations improved and expenses fell. A policy owner who paid those charges is the person the suit says was overcharged.
Brighthouse denies it did anything wrong, and the court has not ruled on the merits. The $9.25 million is a negotiated figure, not a finding of liability. Owners who stay in the class give up the right to bring their own COI claims over the same charges, as opting out is what preserves that right.
Why no one can say what a payment will be
The site states no per-person amount. It says a payment comes only after deductions for administration expenses, a $25,000 service award and class counsel’s fees and costs. Class counsel, Milberg LLC, may ask for up to 33.3% of the fund.
ClaimDepot, a settlement tracker, converts that cap to a figure of up to $3,080,250 in fees. Subtracting that sum from $9.25 million leaves about $6.17 million, before administration costs and the service award come out. The size of each owner’s share is not published, and the site does not explain how the pool is split among 22 policy types.
The same tracker says checks are valid for 180 days from mailing. The settlement site is silent on that point, so the 180-day figure is a second-hand report until the court-approved notice says the same. A check that arrives in 2027 should be cashed promptly either way.
December and January dates that matter
Three dates frame the process, though none requires a class member to act in order to be paid. The first is the opt-out date. A class member who wants out must send a signed written request, postmarked by December 11, 2026, to Epiq at PO Box 2477, Portland, OR 97208-2477. Phone and email requests do not count.
Opting out means receiving nothing and keeping the right to sue separately. Objections must reach the court by December 23, 2026, and an objector stays in the class and is still paid if the settlement is approved. The fairness hearing on January 26 is at 10:30 a.m. in Manhattan, and attendance is optional.
On January 26 the judge decides three things, according to the settlement site: whether to approve the settlement, whether to approve attorneys’ fees and costs, and whether to approve the service award. A ruling that trims the fee request would leave more in the pool, though the site does not say how much any owner would gain.
For most owners the live question is not whether to opt out. It is whether the policy is covered, and when a check could exist. Nothing is paid before the judge rules on January 26 or later, and an appeal by an objector would push payment further out, the FAQ indicates.
Is a Brighthouse policy buried in the file cabinet?
An automatic payment still has to find the right owner. A policy that changed hands, an address that went stale or a notice tossed with junk mail can leave a class member waiting on money that was never routed anywhere.
The Settlement & Refund Recovery System explains the four-date rule for reading a settlement notice, so the December 11 opt-out and December 23 objection dates are not mixed up with the January hearing. Its claim log and payment tracker then keeps the Brighthouse case and any other automatic payment in a single dated record.
Get the notice-date rule and payment tracker →
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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
