Virginia Code 55.1-1016: Confidentiality of information obtained by the Commission
A. Any documents, materials, or other information in the control or possession of the Commission that are furnished by a title insurance company or title insurance agent or an employee thereof acting on behalf of the title insurance company or title insurance agent, or obtained by the Commission in an investigation pursuant to this chapter, shall be confidential by law and privileged, shall not be subject to inspection or review by the general public, shall not be subject to subpoena, and shall not be subject to discovery or admissible in evidence in any private civil action. The Commission 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 Commission’s duties.
Terms Used In Virginia Code 55.1-1016
- Association: means the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. See Virginia Code 55.1-1000
- Commission: means the State Corporation Commission. See Virginia Code 55.1-1000
- 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.
- 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.
- Person: includes any individual, corporation, partnership, association, cooperative, limited liability company, trust, joint venture, government, political subdivision, or any other legal or commercial entity and any successor, representative, agent, agency, or instrumentality thereof. See Virginia Code 1-230
- State: when applied to a part of the United States, includes any of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands. See Virginia Code 1-245
- Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
- Testify: Answer questions in court.
B. Neither the Commission nor any person who received documents, materials, or other information while acting under the authority of the Commission shall be permitted or required to testify in any private civil action concerning any confidential documents, materials, or information subject to subsection A.
C. In order to assist in the performance of the Commission’s duties under this chapter, the Commission:
1. May share documents, material, or other information, including the confidential and privileged documents, materials, or information subject to subsection A, with other state, federal, and international regulatory agencies, with the Association and its affiliates and subsidiaries, and with local, 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; and
2. May receive documents, materials, or information, including otherwise confidential and privileged documents, materials, or information, from the Association or 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.
D. 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 Commission under this section or as a result of sharing as authorized in subsection C.
E. Nothing in this chapter shall prohibit the Commission from releasing final, adjudicated actions, including for-cause terminations that are open to public inspection pursuant to Chapter 4 of Title 12.1, to a database or other clearinghouse service maintained by the Association or its affiliates or subsidiaries.
2006, c. 312, § 6.1-2.27:1; 2008, c. 303; 2010, c. 794, § 55-525.32; 2019, c. 712.