MetLife Retirees Get Class Status in Pension Lifespan Data Case

A group of Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. retirees who say the company shortchanged their pensions by using outdated life expectancy data won a court order certifying their case as a class action covering more than 1,800 people.

Judge Ronnie Abrams certified a class of MetLife retirees who began receiving pensions that include post-death benefits for their surviving spouses in 2013 or later. The class includes two subclasses to account for retirees who signed release agreements upon leaving MetLife, Abrams said.

Abrams’ opinion, issued Thursday in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, adopts a March ...