South Carolina Code 38-31-100. Exhaustion of other coverage and claims
(a) A claim under a policy providing liability coverage to a person who may be jointly and severally liable with or a joint tortfeasor with the person covered under the policy of the insolvent insurer that gives rise to the covered claim must be considered to be a claim arising from the same facts, injury, or loss that gave rise to the covered claim against the association. Any amount payable on a covered claim under this chapter must be reduced by the full and combined policy limits of all joint tortfeasers.
Terms Used In South Carolina Code 38-31-100
- Association: means the South Carolina Property and Casualty Insurance Guaranty Association created under § 38-31-40. See South Carolina Code 38-31-20
- Claimant: means any insured making a first party claim or any person instituting a liability claim. See South Carolina Code 38-31-20
- Covered claim: means an unpaid claim, including one of unearned premiums, which arises out of and is within the coverage and is subject to the applicable limits of an insurance policy to which this chapter applies issued by an insurer, if the insurer is an insolvent insurer and (a) the claimant or insured is a resident of this State at the time of the insured event, if for entities other than an individual, the residence of a claimant or insured is the state in which its principal place of business is located at the time of the insured event or (b) the claim is for first-party benefits for damage to property permanently located in this State. See South Carolina Code 38-31-20
- Insolvent insurer: means an insurer (a) licensed to transact insurance in this State either at the time the policy was issued or when the insured event occurred and (b) determined to be insolvent by a court of competent jurisdiction in the insurer's state of domicile or of this State and which the director or his designee has found fails to meet its obligation to policyholders in this State. See South Carolina Code 38-31-20
- insurance: includes annuities. See South Carolina Code 38-1-20
- Insured: means any named insured, any additional insured, any vendor, lessor, or any other party identified as an insured under the policy. See South Carolina Code 38-31-20
- Insurer: includes a corporation, fraternal organization, burial association, other association, partnership, society, order, individual, or aggregation of individuals engaging or proposing or attempting to engage as principals in any kind of insurance or surety business, including the exchanging of reciprocal or interinsurance contracts between individuals, partnerships, and corporations. See South Carolina Code 38-1-20
- Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
- Person: means an individual, corporation, partnership, association, voluntary organization, or governmental entity. See South Carolina Code 38-31-20
- Policy: means a contract of insurance. See South Carolina Code 38-1-20
- 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.
(b) To the extent that the association’s obligation is reduced by the application of this section, the liability of the person insured by the insolvent insurer’s policy for the claim must be reduced in the same amount.
(2) A person having a claim which may be recovered under more than one insurance guaranty association or associations similar to the association must be required first to exhaust all coverage and limits in recovery from the association of the place of residence of the insured except that, if it is a first-party claim for damage to property with a permanent location, he shall be required first to exhaust all coverage and limits in recovery from the association of the location of the property, and, if it is a workers’ compensation claim, he shall be required first to exhaust all coverage and limits in recovery from the association of the residence of the claimant. Any amount payable on a covered claim under this chapter must be reduced by the full amount of recovery from any other insurance guaranty association or associations similar to the association, and the association shall receive full credit for such recovery.
(3) A person having a claim or legal right of recovery under any governmental insurance or guaranty program which is also a covered claim shall be required first to exhaust all coverage and limits in recovery under the program. Any amount payable on a covered claim under this chapter must be reduced by the full amount of any recovery under the governmental insurance or guaranty program.
(4) No claim held by an insurer, reinsurer, insurance pool, or underwriting association based on an assignment or on rights of subrogation, or otherwise, may be recovered from a claimant or asserted in any legal action against a person insured under a policy issued by an insolvent insurer or the association except to the extent the amount of the claim exceeds the obligation of the association under this chapter.
(5) A person who has liquidated by settlement or judgment a claim against an insured under a policy issued by an insolvent insurer, and the claim is a covered claim and is also a claim within the coverage of any policy issued by a solvent insurer, must be required first to exhaust all coverage and limits provided under the policy issued by the solvent insurer before execution, levy, or any other proceedings are begun to enforce any judgment obtained against or the settlement with the insured of the insolvent insurer. Any amount payable on a covered claim under this chapter, whether through settlement, judgment, or otherwise, must be reduced by the full limits of such other coverage as set forth on the declarations page of the policy issued by the insolvent insurer.
(6) A person having a claim against an insolvent insurer under any provision in an insurance policy is limited to ten million dollars aggregate payout from the association.
(7) A person having a net worth of greater than twenty-five million dollars and having a claim against an insolvent insurer under any provision in an insurance policy may not make a claim against the association.