Michigan Laws 500.1246 – Confidentiality; use of documents, materials, or other information
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(1) Any documents, materials, or other information in the control or possession of the office of financial and insurance services that is furnished by an insurer, an insurance producer, or an employee or representative acting on behalf of the insurer or insurance producer, or obtained by the commissioner in an investigation pursuant to this section is confidential by law and privileged, is not subject to the freedom of information act, 1976 PA 442, MCL 15.231 to 15.246, is not subject to subpoena, and is not subject to discovery or admissible in evidence in any private civil action. However, the commissioner is authorized to use the documents, materials, or other information in the furtherance of any regulatory or legal action brought as a part of the commissioner’s duties.
(2) Neither the commissioner nor any person who received documents, materials, or other information while acting under the commissioner’s authority is permitted or required to testify in any private civil action concerning any confidential documents, materials, or information under subsection (1).
Terms Used In Michigan Laws 500.1246
- Commissioner: means the director. See Michigan Laws 500.102
- Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Freedom of Information Act: A federal law that mandates that all the records created and kept by federal agencies in the executive branch of government must be open for public inspection and copying. The only exceptions are those records that fall into one of nine exempted categories listed in the statute. Source: OCC
- Insurance: means any of the lines of authority in chapter 6. See Michigan Laws 500.1201
- Insurance producer: means a person required to be licensed under the laws of this state to sell, solicit, or negotiate insurance. See Michigan Laws 500.1201
- Insurer: means an individual, corporation, association, partnership, reciprocal exchange, inter-insurer, Lloyds organization, fraternal benefit society, or other legal entity, engaged or attempting to engage in the business of making insurance or surety contracts. See Michigan Laws 500.106
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- License: means a document issued by the director authorizing a person to act as an insurance producer for the qualifications specified in the document. See Michigan Laws 500.1201
- person: may extend and be applied to bodies politic and corporate, as well as to individuals. See Michigan Laws 8.3l
- state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, shall be construed to extend to and include the District of Columbia and the several territories belonging to the United States; and the words "United States" shall be construed to include the district and territories. See Michigan Laws 8.3o
- Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
- Testify: Answer questions in court.
(3) In order to assist in the performance of the commissioner’s duties under this chapter, the commissioner may do any of the following:
(a) Share documents, materials, or other information, including the confidential and privileged documents, materials, or information subject to subsection (1), with other state, federal, and international regulatory agencies, with the national association of insurance commissioners, its affiliates or subsidiaries, and with state, federal, and international law enforcement authorities, provided that the recipient agrees to maintain the confidentiality and privileged status of the document, material, or other information.
(b) Receive documents, materials, or information, including otherwise confidential and privileged documents, materials, or information, from the national association of insurance commissioners, its affiliates or subsidiaries, and from regulatory and law enforcement officials of other foreign or domestic jurisdictions, and shall maintain as confidential or privileged any document, material, or information received with notice or the understanding that it is confidential or privileged under the laws of the jurisdiction that is the source of the document, material, or information.
(c) Enter into agreements governing sharing and use of information consistent with this subsection.
(4) No waiver of any applicable privilege or claim of confidentiality in the documents, materials, or information shall occur as a result of disclosure to the commissioner under section 1208b or this section, or as a result of sharing as authorized under subsection (3).
(5) This chapter does not prohibit the commissioner from releasing final, adjudicated actions including for cause terminations that are open to public inspection pursuant to the freedom of information act, 1976 PA 442, MCL 15.231 to 15.246, to a database or other clearinghouse service maintained by the national association of insurance commissioners or its affiliates or subsidiaries.
(6) An insurer, the authorized representative of the insurer, or an insurance producer that fails to report as required under section 1208b or this section or that is found to have reported with actual malice by a court of competent jurisdiction may, after notice and hearing, have its license or certificate of authority suspended or revoked and may be fined under section 1244.