Kathleen M. Downing v. Country Life Insurance Company

Summary

The Alaska Supreme Court affirmed the superior court’s grant of summary judgment to Country Life Insurance, holding that the Paid‑Up Additions Rider (PUAR) does not provide a flat $1,095,741 death benefit but rather a variable benefit that increases with premiums and time, and that no genuine issue of fact existed as to the contract’s meaning. The Court based its decision on a whole‑contract interpretation and the reasonable‑expectations doctrine for insurance contracts.