A. A provision of a lease or rental contract for equipment that requires a party to the agreement to indemnify, hold harmless, insure or defend the other party to the agreement, including the other party’s officers, employees or agents against liability, claims, damages, losses or expenses, including attorney fees, arising out of bodily injury to a person or damage to property caused by or resulting from, in whole or in part, the negligence, act or omission of the indemnitee, its officers, employees or agents, is void, unenforceable and against the public policy of this state.

Terms Used In New Mexico Statutes 56-7-3

  • 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.
  • 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
  • Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). Source: OCC
  • Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.

B. A lease or rental contract for equipment may contain a provision that requires one party to the contract to indemnify, hold harmless or insure the other party to the contract, including its officers, employees or agents, against liability, claims, damages, losses or expenses, including attorney fees, only to the extent that the liability, damages, losses or expenses are caused by, or arise out of, the acts or omissions of the indemnitor or its officers, employees or agents.

C. A lease or rental contract for equipment that does not contain a provision covered by this section shall be presumed to conform to Subsections A and B of this section.

D. As used in this section, “lease or rental contract for equipment” means any public, private, foreign or domestic contract or agreement relating to the temporary use of equipment without transfer of ownership of the equipment from one party to the other.

E. As used in this section, “indemnify” or “hold harmless” includes any requirement to name the indemnified party as an additional insured in the indemnitor’s insurance coverage for the purpose of providing indemnification for any liability not otherwise allowed in this section. The provisions of this subsection shall not restrict the right of any remedy available to a claimant or plaintiff.

F. Nothing in this section shall apply to a lease or rental contract for a motor vehicle, as “motor vehicle” is defined in Section 66-1-4.11 N.M. Stat. Ann. and that is designed and used primarily to transport persons or property on a public highway.

G. Nothing in this section shall apply to a security agreement as defined in section 55-9-102 N.M. Stat. Ann. or to a finance lease as defined in Section 55-2A-103 N.M. Stat. Ann. or to a lease by a repossessing lessor for equipment repossessed upon default under such a finance lease.

H. Nothing in this section shall apply to a lease or rental contract for equipment for use in the production of motion pictures or television.

  Previous section
Next section  
 Article 7 Contents