Exhibit 5.2
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THE HARTFORD
December 30, 2005
To: Board of Directors of Hartford Life Insurance Company
RE: Enforceability of Funding Agreements Issued to Certain Trusts
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I am an attorney with 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 agreements listed below (each a "Contract") to the trusts (each a
"Trust") listed below on or about the date of this letter:
CONTRACT CONTRACTHOLDER
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Funding Agreement FA-405153 Hartford Life Global Funding Trust 2005-153
Funding Agreement FA-405154 Hartford Life Global Funding Trust 2005-154
Funding Agreement FA-405155 Hartford Life Global Funding Trust 2005-155
In each instance 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 filed on March 18, 2005 (the "Registration
Statement") with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") under the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Act"). The Registration Statement
describes (i) the registration and public offering of up to $5 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 $5,000,000,000, or the equivalent
amount in one or more foreign or composite currencies, aggregate principal
amount of Hartford Life's funding agreements (each, a "Contract") to be sold to
the trusts described below in connection with the issuance and sale of the
Notes.
Each of the Trusts is intended to be a trust described in the prospectus dated
April 15, 2005 (including the prospectus supplement relating to IncomeNotes(sm)
dated May 5, 2005), and included in the Registration Statement (together, the
"Prospectus"). Once duly formed, each 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 each Trust to purchase separately from Hartford Life a funding
agreement, such as the Contracts listed above. As described in the Prospectus,
the Notes issued by each 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/or direction, 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 or direction, have also reviewed, in
unexecuted form, each of the Contracts.
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.
Page 2
December 30, 2005
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 each of the
Contracts) 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 each of the Contracts has been approved by all
necessary corporate action on the part of Hartford Life; and each
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