MetLife Insurance Ltd v MX

MetLife Insurance Ltd appealed to the Court of Appeal of New South Wales against a decision concerning a claim for total and permanent disability benefits under a group life policy. The dispute arose when MetLife declined the insured's claim for benefits on two occasions. The insured, referred to pseudonymously as MX, sought to challenge the insurer's decisions.

The Court of Appeal was required to determine whether MetLife, in its second decision to decline the claim, had taken into account irrelevant considerations, specifically its own prior decision. Furthermore, the court had to consider whether MetLife had acted in breach of its contractual duty and whether its assessment of MX's claim was reasonable and fair.

The Court of Appeal found that MetLife had indeed taken into account an irrelevant consideration by relying on its own previous, flawed decision. This led to the conclusion that MetLife had acted in breach of its contractual obligations and had not acted reasonably or fairly in its consideration of MX's claim. Consequently, the appeal was dismissed. The court also made orders suppressing the identity of MX for a period of 50 years and directed MetLife to pay MX's costs.