(a) Fraudulent life settlement acts, interference and participation of convicted felons prohibited.

(1)  A person shall not commit a fraudulent life settlement act.

(2)  A person shall not knowingly and intentionally interfere with the enforcement of the provisions of this chapter or investigations of suspected or actual violations of this chapter.

(3)  A person in the business of life settlements shall not knowingly or intentionally permit any person convicted of a felony involving dishonesty or breach of trust to participate in the business of life settlements.

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Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 27-72-14

  • Allegation: something that someone says happened.
  • Broker: means a person who, on behalf of an owner and for a fee, commission or other valuable consideration, offers or attempts to negotiate life settlement contracts between an owner and provider. See Rhode Island General Laws 27-72-2
  • Business of life settlements: means an activity involved in, but not limited to, offering to enter into, soliciting, negotiating, procuring, effectuating, monitoring, or tracking, of life settlement contracts. See Rhode Island General Laws 27-72-2
  • Commissioner: means the director of the department of business regulation or his or her designee. See Rhode Island General Laws 27-72-2
  • 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.
  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • 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.
  • Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
  • Fraudulent life settlement act: includes :

    (i)  Acts or omissions committed by any person who, knowingly and with intent to defraud, for the purpose of depriving another of property or for pecuniary gain, commits, or permits its employees or its agents to engage in acts including, but not limited to:

    (A)  Presenting, causing to be presented, or preparing with knowledge and belief that it will be presented to or by a provider, premium finance lender, broker, insurer, insurance producer, or any other person, false material information, or concealing material information, as part of, in support of, or concerning a fact material to one or more of the following:

    (I)  An application for the issuance of a life settlement contract or insurance policy;

    (II)  The underwriting of a life settlement contract or insurance policy;

    (III)  A claim for payment or benefit pursuant to a life settlement contract or insurance policy;

    (IV)  Premiums paid on an insurance policy;

    (V)  Payments and changes in ownership or beneficiary made in accordance with the terms of a life settlement contract or insurance policy;

    (VI)  The reinstatement or conversion of an insurance policy;

    (VII)  In the solicitation, offer to enter into, or effectuation of a life settlement contract, or insurance policy;

    (VIII)  The issuance of written evidence of a life settlement contract or insurance;

    (IX)  Any application for or the existence of or any payments related to a loan secured directly or indirectly by any interest in a life insurance policy; or

    (X)  Entering into any practice or plan that involves stranger originated life insurance (STOLI). See Rhode Island General Laws 27-72-2

  • Insured: means the person covered under the policy being considered for sale in a life settlement contract. See Rhode Island General Laws 27-72-2
  • Person: means any natural person or legal entity including, but not limited to, a partnership, limited liability company, association, trust, or corporation. See Rhode Island General Laws 27-72-2
  • Policy: means an individual or group policy, group certificate, contract, or arrangement of life insurance owned by a resident of this state, regardless of whether delivered or issued for delivery in this state. See Rhode Island General Laws 27-72-2
  • Prosecute: To charge someone with a crime. A prosecutor tries a criminal case on behalf of the government.
  • Provider: means a person, other than an owner, who enters into or effectuates a life settlement contract with an owner. See Rhode Island General Laws 27-72-2
  • Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
  • Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
  • Tort: A civil wrong or breach of a duty to another person, as outlined by law. A very common tort is negligent operation of a motor vehicle that results in property damage and personal injury in an automobile accident.

(b) Fraud warning required.

(1)  Life settlement contracts and applications for life settlement contracts, regardless of the form of transmission, shall contain the following statement or a substantially similar statement:

(1)  “Any person who knowingly presents false information in an application for insurance or life settlement contract is guilty of a crime and may be subject to fines and confinement in prison.”

(2)  The lack of a statement as required in subsection (b)(1) does not constitute a defense in any prosecution for a fraudulent life settlement act.

(c) Mandatory reporting of fraudulent life settlement acts.

(1)  Any person engaged in the business of life settlements having knowledge or a reasonable belief that a fraudulent life settlement act is being, will be, or has been committed shall provide to the commissioner the information required by, and in a manner prescribed by, the commissioner.

(2)  Any other person having knowledge or a reasonable belief that a fraudulent life settlement act is being, will be, or has been committed may provide to the commissioner the information required by, and in a manner prescribed by, the commissioner.

(d) Immunity from liability.

(1)  No civil liability shall be imposed on and no cause of action shall arise from a person’s furnishing information concerning suspected, anticipated, or completed fraudulent life settlement acts or suspected or completed fraudulent insurance acts, if the information is provided to or received from:

(i)  The commissioner or the commissioner’s employees, agents, or representatives;

(ii)  Federal, state or local law enforcement or regulatory officials or their employees, agents, or representatives;

(iii)  A person involved in the prevention and detection of fraudulent life settlement acts or that person’s agents, employees, or representatives;

(iv)  Any regulatory body or their employees, agents, or representatives, overseeing life insurance, life settlements, securities or investment fraud;

(v)  The life insurer that issued the life insurance policy covering the life of the insured; or

(vi)  The licensee and any agents, employees, or representatives.

(2)  Subsection (d)(1) shall not apply to statements made with actual malice. In an action brought against a person for filing a report or furnishing other information concerning a fraudulent life settlement act or a fraudulent insurance act, the party bringing the action shall plead specifically any allegation that subsection (d)(1) does not apply because the person filing the report or furnishing the information did so with actual malice.

(3)  A person identified in subsection (d)(1) shall be entitled to an award of attorney’s fees and costs if he or she is the prevailing party in a civil cause of action for libel, slander or any other relevant tort arising out of activities in carrying out the provisions of this chapter and the party bringing the action was not substantially justified in doing so. For purposes of this section, a proceeding is “substantially justified” if it had a reasonable basis in law or fact at the time that it was initiated.

(4)  This section does not abrogate or modify common law or statutory privileges or immunities enjoyed by a person described in subsection (d)(1).

(e) Confidentiality.

(1)  The documents and evidence provided pursuant to subsection (d) or obtained by the commissioner in an investigation of suspected or actual fraudulent life settlement acts shall be privileged and confidential and shall not be a public record and shall not be subject to discovery or subpoena in a civil or criminal action.

(2)  Subsection (e)(1) does not prohibit release by the commissioner of documents and evidence obtained in an investigation of suspected or actual fraudulent life settlement acts:

(i)  In administrative or judicial proceedings to enforce laws administered by the commissioner;

(ii)  To federal, state or local law enforcement or regulatory agencies, to an organization established for the purpose of detecting and preventing fraudulent life settlement acts or to the NAIC; or

(iii)  At the discretion of the commissioner, to a person in the business of life settlements that is aggrieved by a fraudulent life settlement act.

(3)  Release of documents and evidence under subsection (e)(2) does not abrogate or modify the privilege granted in subsection (e)(1).

(f) Other law enforcement or regulatory authority.  This chapter shall not:

(1)  Preempt the authority or relieve the duty of other law enforcement or regulatory agencies to investigate, examine, and prosecute suspected violations of law;

(2)  Preempt, supersede, or limit any provision of any state securities law or any rule, order, or notice issued thereunder;

(3)  Prevent or prohibit a person from voluntarily disclosing information concerning life settlement fraud to a law enforcement or regulatory agency other than the insurance department; or

(4)  Limit the powers granted elsewhere by the laws of this state to the commissioner or an insurance fraud unit to investigate and examine possible violations of law and to take appropriate action against wrongdoers.

(g) Life settlement antifraud initiatives.

(1)  Providers and brokers shall have in place antifraud initiatives reasonably calculated to detect, prosecute, and prevent fraudulent life settlement acts. At the discretion of the commissioner, the commissioner may order, or a licensee may request and the commissioner may grant, such modifications of the following required initiatives as necessary to ensure an effective antifraud program. The modifications may be more or less restrictive than the required initiatives so long as the modifications may reasonably be expected to accomplish the purpose of this section. Antifraud initiatives shall include:

(i)  Fraud investigators, who may be provider or broker employees or independent contractors; and

(ii)  An antifraud plan, which shall be submitted to the commissioner. The antifraud plan shall include, but not be limited to:

(A)  A description of the procedures for detecting and investigating possible fraudulent life settlement acts and procedures for resolving material inconsistencies between medical records and insurance applications;

(B)  A description of the procedures for reporting possible fraudulent life settlement acts to the commissioner;

(C)  A description of the plan for antifraud education and training of underwriters and other personnel; and

(D)  A description or chart outlining the organizational arrangement of the antifraud personnel who are responsible for the investigation and reporting of possible fraudulent life settlement acts and investigating unresolved material inconsistencies between medical records and insurance applications.

(2)  Antifraud plans submitted to the commissioner shall be privileged and confidential and shall not be a public record and shall not be subject to discovery or subpoena in a civil or criminal action.

History of Section.
P.L. 2009, ch. 195, § 1; P.L. 2009, ch. 262, § 1.