Lawanda Small v. Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America

FOR PUBLICATION

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT

LAWANDA D. SMALL, Individually, No. 23-55821 and on Behalf of the Class; Class Representative, D.C. No. 2:20-cv- 01944-TJH-KES Plaintiff-Appellee, v.

OPINION

ALLIANZ LIFE INSURANCE

COMPANY OF NORTH AMERICA,

a Minnesota Corporation,

Defendant-Appellant.

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Central District of California Terry J. Hatter, Jr., District Judge, Presiding

Argued and Submitted October 21, 2024 Pasadena, California

Filed December 10, 2024

Before: Richard C. Tallman, Ryan D. Nelson, and Daniel A. Bress, Circuit Judges.

Opinion by Judge Tallman SUMMARY *

Class Certification / California Insurance Law

The panel reversed the district court’s order certifying a class challenging loss of life insurance for failure to pay premiums where insurer Allianz Life Insurance failed to strictly comply with statutorily mandated notice provisions, vacated the district court’s summary judgment orders, and remanded. Lawanda Small, a beneficiary and an additional insured of her deceased husband’s Allianz life insurance policy,…