I know a person who has taken ownership of a life ins policy without the original owners permission, is this legal? 
That is a very interesting question ! Legally , the only way that ownership of an insurance policy can be transferred from one person to the next is if the original owner has done so by completing paperwork with the insurer , and signing it over to the next owner . If there is some debate over whether this has been done ethically or legally , then I 'd start by finding out whether the original owner was aware of what they were doing . If the original owner did so under duress , or was not mentally competent -LRB- maybe suffers from dementia or Alzheimer 's , for example -RRB- to make that decision , then there might be grounds to have the insurer legally cede ownership back to the original owner . If the owner signed it over and did so in their right mind , and freely , no matter how much you may dislike the idea , it will be virtually impossible to undo . I 'm sorry if that 's not the answer that you were hoping for , but I 'm glad that you asked.Thank you for doing so , and I hope that it works out for you . 