Arizona Laws 20-675. Immunity and indemnification
A. There shall be no liability on the part of, and no cause of action shall rise against, the fund, any member insurer, the board or its agents or employees, the director or representatives of the director for any action taken in the performance of their powers and duties pursuant to this article.
Terms Used In Arizona Laws 20-675
- Account: means any one of the three accounts within the Arizona property and casualty insurance guaranty fund. See Arizona Laws 20-661
- Action: includes any matter or proceeding in a court, civil or criminal. See Arizona Laws 1-215
- Board: means the guaranty fund board. See Arizona Laws 20-661
- Fund: means the Arizona property and casualty insurance guaranty fund. See Arizona Laws 20-661
- Indemnification: In general, a collateral contract or assurance under which one person agrees to secure another person against either anticipated financial losses or potential adverse legal consequences. Source: FDIC
- Member insurer: means any person who writes any kind of insurance, unless such writing is restricted solely to life, title, surety, disability, credit, mortgage guaranty, ocean-marine or surplus lines insurance, including the exchange of reciprocal or inter-insurance contracts, and is licensed to transact insurance in this state. See Arizona Laws 20-661
- Net direct written premiums: means direct gross premiums written in this state on insurance policies to which this article applies, less return premiums and dividends paid or credited to policyholders on such direct business. See Arizona Laws 20-661
- Person: includes a corporation, company, partnership, firm, association or society, as well as a natural person. See Arizona Laws 1-215
- Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
B. The board and its agents or employees shall be indemnified by the fund against all expenses incurred in the defense of any action, suit or proceeding brought against such person on account of any action taken in the performance of the powers and duties of such person pursuant to this article, unless such person is finally adjudged to have committed a breach of duty involving gross negligence, bad faith, dishonesty, wilful malfeasance or reckless disregard of the responsibilities of his or her office. In the event of settlement before the final adjudication, such indemnity shall be provided only if the board is advised by independent counsel selected by the board that such person did not, in the counsel’s opinion, commit such a breach of duty.
C. The fund’s reimbursement of such expenses of indemnification shall be prorated and paid for by the member insurers in the proportion that the net direct written premiums of each member insurer for the calendar year preceding the commencement of such action, suit or proceeding bears to the net direct written premiums of all member insurers for the preceding calendar year.