EXHIBIT 5.1


                          [METLIFE, INC. LETTERHEAD]

                                                  November 21,2003

MetLife, Inc.
One Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10010

Ladies and Gentlemen:

         This opinion is furnished to you in connection with the Registration
Statement on Form S-3 (File Nos. 333-61282,333-61282-01 and 333-61282-02) (the
"Registration Statement") and the Prospectus Supplement, dated November 18,2003
(the "Prospectus Supplement"), of MetLife, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the
"Company"), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
"Commission"), relating to the issuance and sale by the Company of $200,000,000
aggregate principal amount of the Company's 5.875% Senior Notes due November
21, 2033 (the "Senior Notes") issued pursuant to the Senior Indenture, dated as
of November 9, 2001 between the Company and J.P. Morgan Trust Company, National
Association (as successor to Bank One Trust Company, N.A.) as trustee (in such
capacity, the "Trustee"), as supplemented by Supplemental Indenture No. 5, dated
as of November 21,2003 (as so supplemented, the "Indenture").

         In connection with the foregoing, I or other attorneys of the Company
over whom I exercise general supervisory authority have examined and relied upon
originals or copies, certified or otherwise authenticated to our satisfaction,
of such records of the Company, and such agreements, letters or certificates as
to matters of fact of public officials, certificates of officers or other
representatives of the Company and such other agreements, instruments,
statements, documents, certificates and corporate or other records as we have
deemed necessary or appropriate as a basis for the opinions set forth herein. In
making such examination, we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the
legal capacity of all natural persons, the authenticity of all documents
submitted to us as originals, the conformity to original documents of all
documents submitted to us as certified or photostatic copies and the
authenticity of the originals of such copies.

         Where I have not independently established or verified facts material
to the opinion hereinafter expressed, I have relied upon oral or written
statements, certificates, opinions and representations of officers and other
representatives of the Company and others. I believe that you and I are
justified in relying upon such statements, certificates, opinions and
representations.

         Based on and subject to the foregoing, I am of the opinion that the
Senior Notes have been validly issued and constitute valid and binding
obligations of the Company entitled to the benefits provided by the Indenture.

         The opinion set forth above is subject to the effects of (1)
bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, fraudulent conveyance, moratorium and
other similar laws now or hereafter in



effect affecting creditors' rights generally, (2) general principles of equity
(regardless of whether enforceability is considered in a proceeding in law or
equity), (3) an implied covenant of good faith, reasonableness and fair dealing,
and standards of materiality and (4) limitations with respect to enforceability
of provisions of the Indenture providing for indemnification or contribution,
arising under applicable law (including court decisions) or public policy.

         I am a member of the Bar of the State of New York, and do not hold
myself out as being conversant with the laws of any jurisdiction other than the
laws of the United States of America and the State of New York and the General
Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, and I express no opinion as to the
laws of any other jurisdiction.

         I hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the
Company's Form 8-K filed on November 21, 2003, incorporated by reference in the
Registration Statement, and to the use of my name under the caption "Legal
Opinions" in the Prospectus Supplement. In giving such consent, I do not thereby
concede that I am within the category of persons whose consent is required under
Section 7 of the Securities Act or the rules and regulations of the Commission
thereunder.

                                       Very truly yours,

                                       /s/ James L. Lipscomb
                                       ---------------------
                                       James L. Lipscomb
                                       Executive Vice President and
                                        General Counsel