Renaldo White v. Symetra Assigned Benefits Service Company

FOR PUBLICATION

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT

RENALDO WHITE; RANDOLPH No. 22-35748 NADEAU, individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated, D.C. No. 2:20-cv-01866- Plaintiffs-Appellees, MJP

v.

OPINION

SYMETRA ASSIGNED BENEFITS

SERVICE COMPANY; SYMETRA

LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY,

Defendants-Appellants.

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington Marsha J. Pechman, District Judge, Presiding

Argued and Submitted October 17, 2023 Phoenix, Arizona

Filed June 20, 2024

Before: Sandra S. Ikuta, Bridget S. Bade, and Daniel A. Bress, Circuit Judges.

Opinion by Judge Bress SUMMARY*

Class Certification

The panel reversed the district court’s certification of two nationwide classes in a putative class action of approximately 2,000 payees who received structured settlement annuities to resolve personal injury claims. Plaintiffs alleged that defendants Symetra Life Insurance Company and Symetra Assigned Benefits Service Company wrongfully induced them to cash out their annuities in individualized “factoring” arrangements, whereby they gave up…