(A) Documents, materials, or other information in the control or possession of the department that are furnished by a licensee or an employee or agent acting on behalf of a licensee, or obtained by the director in an investigation or examination are confidential by law and privileged, are not subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, and are not subject to subpoena or discovery in a private or civil action; and are not admissible as evidence in a private or civil action. However, the director is authorized to use the documents, materials, or other information in the furtherance of a regulatory or legal action brought as a part of the director’s duties.

(B) The director or a person who received documents, materials, or other information while acting under the authority of the director may not be permitted or required to testify in a private civil action concerning confidential documents, materials, or information.

Terms Used In South Carolina Code 38-99-60

  • Department: means the Department of Insurance. See South Carolina Code 38-99-10
  • Director: means the Director of the Department of Insurance or his designee. See South Carolina Code 38-99-10
  • 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: includes annuities. See South Carolina Code 38-1-20
  • 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.
  • Licensee: means a person licensed, authorized to operate, or registered, or required to be licensed, authorized, or registered pursuant to the insurance laws of this State but does not include a purchasing group or a risk retention group chartered and licensed in a state other than this State or a licensee that is acting as an assuming insurer that is domiciled in another state or jurisdiction. See South Carolina Code 38-99-10
  • Person: means any individual or any nongovernmental entity including, but not limited to, a nongovernmental partnership, corporation, branch, agency, or association. See South Carolina Code 38-99-10
  • State: means the State of South Carolina. See South Carolina Code 38-99-10
  • Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
  • Testify: Answer questions in court.

(C) To assist in the performance of his duties, the director may:

(1) share documents, materials, or other information, including confidential and privileged documents, materials, or information, with other state, federal, and international regulatory agencies the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, its affiliates or subsidiaries, and state, federal, and international law enforcement authorities, provided that the recipient agrees in writing to maintain the confidentiality and privileged status of the documents, materials, or other information;

(2) 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 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;

(3) share documents, materials, or other information with a third-party consultant or vendor, provided the consultant agrees in writing to maintain the confidentiality and privileged status of the document, material, or other information; and

(4) enter into an agreement governing the sharing and use of information consistent with this subsection.

(D) No waiver of any applicable privilege or claim of confidentiality in the documents, materials, or information may occur from disclosure to the director under this section or sharing as authorized under this chapter.

(E) Nothing in this chapter prohibits the director from releasing final, adjudicated actions that are open to public inspection to a database or other clearinghouse service maintained by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, its affiliates, or subsidiaries.

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