[Hartford Letterhead]
October 21, 2004
To: Board of Directors of Hartford Life Insurance Company
RE: Enforceability of Funding Agreements Issued to Certain Trusts
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I am Counsel to Hartford Life Insurance Company ("Hartford Life"), a Connecticut
life insurance corporation.
I am furnishing this opinion in connection with the issuance by Hartford Life of
the funding agreement listed below (the "Contract") to the trust (the "Trust")
listed below on or about the date of this letter:
Contract Contractholder
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Funding Agreement FA-404008 Hartford Life Global Funding Trust 2004-008
The Trust was established pursuant to the Hartford Life Global Funding note
issuance program (the "Program") described in that certain registration
statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-112244) filed on January 27, 2004 (the
"Registration Statement") with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
"SEC") under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Act"), as amended by
Amendment No. 1 thereto, filed with the SEC on March 16, 2004; by Amendment No.
2 thereto, filed with the SEC on May 4, 2004 and by Amendment No. 3 thereto,
filed with the SEC on July 27, 2004. The Registration Statement describes (i)
the registration and public offering of up to $2 billion, in the aggregate
principal amount of notes (the "Notes") to be issued by a series of trusts and
(ii) the registration of up to $2,000,000,000, or the equivalent amount in one
or more foreign or composite currencies, aggregate principal amount of Hartford
Life's funding agreement (such as the Contract) to be sold to the Trust
described below in connection with the issuance and sale of the Notes.
The Trust is intended to be a trust described in the prospectus (including the
prospectus supplement relating to IncomeNotes(sm)), both dated September 7,
2004, and included in the Registration Statement (together, the "Prospectus").
Once duly formed, the Trust is authorized to issue no more than a single series
of Notes and to take certain other actions necessary or appropriate to such
issuance. The proceeds from the sale of each series of Notes are to be used by
the Trust to purchase separately from Hartford Life a funding agreement, such as
the Contract listed above. As described in the Prospectus, the Notes issued by
the Trust are to be secured by the assignment to an indenture trustee of its
Contract and all proceeds from its Contract.
In connection with the foregoing, I, or persons under my supervision, have
examined an original or copies certified to my satisfaction as being a true copy
of the certificate of incorporation and bylaws of Hartford Life, and have
reviewed such other corporate records, instruments and other documents as deemed
necessary or appropriate in order to render the opinions set forth herein. I, or
persons under my supervision, have also reviewed, in unexecuted form, the
Contract.
In the examination of various documents, instruments and records, including
without limitation any referred to in this opinion letter, and in connection
with the opinions herein expressed, I have assumed the competency of all
individual signatories, the genuineness of all signatures, submitted as
certified, photostatic or electronic copies, and the authenticity of the
originals of such latter documents.
Based upon and subject to the foregoing, I am of the opinion that, as of the
date of this letter:
(a) Hartford Life is a Connecticut domiciled insurance company duly
organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of
Connecticut as a corporation formed for the purposes of conducting the
business of a life insurance company. Hartford Life has the necessary
corporate authority to enter into each of the Contracts and to perform
its respective obligations thereunder.
(b) Hartford Life has obtained licenses from the states of Connecticut and
Delaware, which authorize Hartford Life to conduct life insurance
business and to issue insurance contracts (including the Contract) in
those states. Hartford Life has all necessary authority to execute and
to issue such Contracts under applicable Connecticut and Delaware
insurance laws and regulations and orders and interpretations of the
Connecticut Insurance Department and the Delaware Insurance
Department.
(c) The issuance of the Contract has been approved by all necessary
corporate action on the part of Hartford Life; and the Contract
constitutes the legal, valid and binding obligation of Hartford Life,
enforceable in accordance with its terms, except to the extent
enforceability thereof may be limited by (i) bankruptcy, insolvency,
fraudulent conveyances, fraudulent transfers, reorganization, or
moratorium or other similar laws now or hereafter in effect relating
to or effecting the enforcement of creditors' rights or remedies
generally and (ii) general principles of equity (regardless of whether
such enforcement is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law),
including the discretion of the court before which any proceeding may
be brought, concepts of good faith, reasonableness and fair dealing.
I consent to the filing of this opinion with the Securities and Exchange
Commission as an exhibit to the Current Report of Hartford Life on Form 8-K and
to the use of my name under the heading "Legal Matters" in the Prospectus and to
the incorporation by reference of this opinion and consent as exhibits to the
Registration Statement filed in accordance with Rule 462(b) under the Act. In
giving the foregoing consents, I do not thereby admit that I come within the
category of persons, whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities
Act of 1933, as amended, or the rules and regulations of the Securities and
Exchange Commission thereunder.
Very truly yours,
/s/ Jonathan Mercier
Jonathan Mercier, Counsel
Hartford Life Insurance Company
Hartford Life Insurance Companies
200 Hopmeadow Street
Simsbury, CT 06089
Mail: P.O. Box 2999
Hartford, CT 06104-2999