Jerry purchased a life insurance policy and deliberately misstated his age in order to reduce...

The insurer will adjust the death benefit to the amount the premium paid would have purchased at Jerry’s correct age. New Jersey’s misstatement-of-age provision is explicit: if the age of the insured, or another person whose age is used to determine premium or benefit, has been misstated, the amount payable or benefit accruing is adjusted to what the premium would have purchased at the correct age. New Jersey form requirements further state that the insurer cannot simply rescind and refund premium for misstatement of age; the benefit must be reduced or increased according to the correct-age calculation. That remains true even though Jerry deliberately misstated his age. Option A is too harsh for the specific age-misstatement rule. Option B is not the standard remedy. Option C is wrong because the claim involves the death benefit, not merely cash surrender value. Since Jerry understated his age to pay a lower premium, the correct-age premium would have purchased less insurance, so the death benefit is decreased. Reference topics: Misstatement of Age, Benefit Adjustment, Incontestability Exception, Life Policy Provisions.