Except for a liability which may be insured against pursuant to Division 4 (commencing with Section 3200) of the Labor Code, a local public entity may:

(a) Insure itself against all or any part of any tort or inverse condemnation liability.

Terms Used In California Government Code 990

  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • local public entity: means any public entity except a state agency covered by §. See California Government Code 989
  • Tort: A civil wrong or breach of a duty to another person, as outlined by law. A very common tort is negligent operation of a motor vehicle that results in property damage and personal injury in an automobile accident.

(b) Insure any employee of the local public entity against all or any part of his liability for injury resulting from an act or omission in the scope of his employment.

(c) Insure, contract or provide against the expense of defending a claim against the local public entity or its employee, whether or not liability exists on such claim, including a claim for damages under § 3294 of the Civil Code or otherwise for the sake of example or by way of punishment, where such liability arose from an act or omission in the scope of his employment, and an insurance contract for such purpose is valid and binding notwithstanding § 1668 of the Civil Code, § 533 of the Insurance Code, or any other provision of law.

(d) A hospital district may participate in a reciprocal or interinsurance exchange with the members of its medical staff as provided in § 1284 of the Insurance Code.

Nothing in this section shall be construed to authorize a local public entity to pay for, or to insure, contract, or provide for payment for, such part of a claim or judgment against an employee of the local entity as is for punitive or exemplary damages.

(Amended by Stats. 1977, Ch. 904.)