To embed, copy and paste the code into your website or blog: Allegations of misconduct by agents and brokers are a consistent feature of lawsuits aimed at insurance companies. Several recent court decisions illustrate the types of claims insurers have faced and which defense strategies are proving successful. The claims generally fall into two archetypes: misrepresentations by the insurance agent during the sale of the policy, and fraud by the insurance agent after the sale of the policy. In one recently filed putative class action, for example, the plaintiff claimed that agents were trained and incentivized to trick consumers into replacing whole life policies with universal life policies and that, in doing so, agents misrepresented the terms or benefits of the universal life policies. In another case, the plaintiff sued an agent and insurer, alleging that the agent (who was also the decedent’s brother) improperly designated himself as the beneficiary of the decedent’s policy or unduly influenced the decedent to make the change.