DESCENDANTS OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE FILE CLASS ACTION AGAINST INSURER
Amanda Bronstad

Law.com
37
Sept 17 2008
CA

Descendants of the Armenian genocide filed another class action against
an insurance company, claiming they are entitled to benefits that
should have been paid to the beneficiaries of their ancestors. The
class action was filed on Monday against Aviva PLC, a British firm,
which insured individuals during the Armenian genocide. Baghtchedjian
v. Aviva, No. CV08-cv-06030 (C.D. Calif.)

The suit is the latest to involve insurance firms targeted for
policies sold during the Armenian genocide. Others include New York
Life Insurance Co., which in 2004 agreed to pay $20 million to settle
similar claims, and AXA S.A., which agreed to a $17 million settlement
in 2005.

The Armenian genocide is believed to have killed more than 1.5 million
Armenians from 1915 to 1923.

Aviva is the successor firm to Norwich Union Life Insurance Society
and Commercial Union Insurance Co., which sold insurance to Armenians
who lived in the Turkish Ottoman Empire before the genocide.

The lead plaintiffs, Raffi Baghtchedjian and Nisan Papazyan, both
residents of Los Angeles County, are suing on behalf of all Armenians
who owned life insurance policies at Norwich Union and life and fire
insurance policies at Commercial Union from 1880 and 1930 and whose
beneficiaries were not paid — a potential class of about 10,000
individuals.

Vartkes Yeghiayan of Glendale, Calif.-based Yeghiayan & Associates
represents the plaintiffs. He was involved in similar cases against
New York Life and Deutsche Bank.

Calls to an Aviva spokesman were not returned.