West Virginia Code 33-41-6 – Immunity from liability
(a) There shall be no civil liability imposed on and no cause of action shall arise from a person's furnishing information concerning suspected or anticipated fraud relating to the business of insurance, if the information is provided to or received from:
Terms Used In West Virginia Code 33-41-6
- Allegation: something that someone says happened.
- Business of insurance: means the writing of insurance, including the writing of workers' compensation insurance under the provisions of §. See West Virginia Code 33-41-2
- Case law: The law as laid down in cases that have been decided in the decisions of the courts.
- Commissioner: means the Insurance Commissioner of West Virginia or his or her designee. See West Virginia Code 33-41-2
- Common law: The legal system that originated in England and is now in use in the United States. It is based on judicial decisions rather than legislative action.
- Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
- Insurance: means a contract or arrangement in which a person undertakes to:
(1) Pay or indemnify another person as to loss from certain contingencies called "risks" including through reinsurance. See West Virginia Code 33-41-2
- Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
- Person: means an individual, a corporation, a limited liability company, a partnership, an association, a joint stock company, a trust, trustees, an unincorporated organization, or any similar business entity, or any combination of the foregoing. See West Virginia Code 33-41-2
- Reporter: Makes a record of court proceedings and prepares a transcript, and also publishes the court's opinions or decisions (in the courts of appeals).
- State: when applied to a part of the United States and not restricted by the context, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories, and the words "United States" also include the said district and territories. See West Virginia Code 2-2-10
- Statement: means any written or oral representation made to any person, insurer or authorized agency. See West Virginia Code 33-41-2
(1) The commissioner or the commissioner's employees, agents or representatives;
(2) Federal, state, or local law-enforcement or regulatory officials or their employees, agents or representatives;
(3) A person involved in the prevention and detection of insurance fraud or that person's agents, employees or representatives; or
(4) The national association of Insurance Commissioners or its employees, agents or representatives.
(b) The provisions of subsection (a) of this section are not applicable to materially incorrect statements made maliciously or fraudulently by a person designated a mandated reporter pursuant to the provisions of subsection (a), section five of this article or made in reckless disregard to the truth or falsity of the statement by those not mandated to report. In an action brought against a person for filing a report or furnishing other information concerning an alleged insurance fraud, the party bringing the action shall plead with specificity any facts supporting the allegation that subsection (a) of this section does not apply because the person filing the report or furnishing the incorrect information did so maliciously in the case of a mandated reporter or in the case of a person not designated a mandated reporter, in reckless disregard for the truth or falsity of the statement.
(c) Nothing in this article shall be construed to limit, abrogate or modify existing statutes or case law applicable to the duties or liabilities of insurers regarding bad faith or unfair trade practices.
(d) This section does not abrogate or modify common law or statutory privileges or immunities.