Vermont Statutes Title 8 Sec. 4184
Terms Used In Vermont Statutes Title 8 Sec. 4184
- Affiliate: means affiliate as defined in section 3681 of this title. See
- Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
- Association: means the Vermont Life and Health Insurance Guaranty Association created under section 4176 of this chapter. See
- Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
- Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. Source: U.S. Courts
- following: when used by way of reference to a section of the law shall mean the next preceding or following section. See
- Insolvent insurer: means a member insurer that, after the effective date of this chapter, is placed under an order of liquidation by a court of competent jurisdiction with a finding of insolvency. See
- 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.
- Member insurer: means any insurer or health maintenance organization licensed or that holds a certificate of authority to transact in this State any kind of insurance or health maintenance organization business for which coverage is provided under section 4173 of this chapter and includes an insurer or health maintenance organization whose license or certificate of authority in this State may have been suspended, revoked, not renewed, or voluntarily withdrawn, but does not include:
- Person: means any individual, corporation, limited liability company, partnership, association, governmental body or entity, or voluntary organization. See
- Receivership court: means the court in the insolvent or impaired insurer's state having jurisdiction over the conservation, rehabilitation, or liquidation of the member insurer. See
§ 4184. Miscellaneous provisions
(a) This chapter shall not be construed to reduce the liability for unpaid assessments of the insureds of an impaired or insolvent insurer operating under a plan with assessment liability.
(b)(1) Records shall be kept of all meetings of the Board of Directors to discuss the activities of the Association in carrying out its powers and duties under section 4178 of this chapter. The records of the Association with respect to an impaired or insolvent insurer shall not be disclosed prior to the termination of a liquidation, rehabilitation, or conservation proceeding involving the impaired or insolvent insurer, except:
(A) upon the termination of the impairment or insolvency of the member insurer; or
(B) upon the order of a court of competent jurisdiction.
(2) Nothing in this subsection shall limit the duty of the Association to render a report of its activities under section 4185 of this chapter.
(c) For the purpose of carrying out its obligations under this chapter, the Association shall be deemed to be a creditor of the impaired or insolvent insurer to the extent of assets attributable to covered policies reduced by any amounts to which the Association is entitled as subrogee pursuant to subsection 4178(k) of this chapter. Assets of the impaired or insolvent insurer attributable to covered policies shall be used to continue all covered policies and pay all contractual obligations of the impaired or insolvent insurer as required by this chapter. Assets attributable to covered policies or contracts, as used in this subsection, are that proportion of the assets that the reserves that should have been established for such policies or contracts bear to the reserves that should have been established for all policies of insurance or health benefit plans written by the impaired or insolvent insurer.
(d) As a creditor of the impaired or insolvent insurer pursuant to subsection (c) of this section and consistent with section 7073 of this title, the Association and other similar associations shall be entitled to receive a disbursement of assets out of the marshaled assets, from time to time as the assets become available to reimburse it, as a credit against contractual obligations under this chapter. If the liquidator has not, within 120 days after a final determination of insolvency of a member insurer by the receivership court, made an application to the court for the approval of a proposal to disburse assets out of marshaled assets to guaranty associations having obligations because of the insolvency, then the Association shall be entitled to make application to the receivership court for approval of its own proposal to disburse these assets.
(e)(1) Prior to the termination of any liquidation, rehabilitation, or conservation proceeding, the court may take into consideration the contributions of the respective parties, including the Association, the shareholders, contract owners, certificate holders, enrollees, and policyowners of the insolvent insurer, and any other party with a bona fide interest, in making an equitable distribution of the ownership rights of the insolvent insurer. In such a determination, consideration shall be given to the welfare of the policyowners, contract owners, certificate holders, and enrollees of the continuing or successor member insurer.
(2) No distribution to stockholders, if any, of an impaired or insolvent insurer shall be made until and unless the total amount of valid claims of the Association with interest thereon for funds expended in carrying out its powers and duties under section 4178 of this chapter with respect to the member insurer have been fully recovered by the Association.
(f) If an order for liquidation or rehabilitation of a member insurer domiciled in Vermont has been entered, the receiver appointed under such order shall have a right to recover on behalf of the member insurer from any affiliate that controlled it the amount of distributions, other than stock dividends paid by the member insurer on its capital stock, made at any time during the five years preceding the petition for liquidation or rehabilitation subject to the following limitations:
(1) A distribution shall not be recoverable if the member insurer shows that, when paid, the distribution was lawful and reasonable and that the member insurer did not know and could not reasonably have known that the distribution might adversely affect the ability of the member insurer to fulfill its contractual obligations.
(2) Any person who was an affiliate that controlled the member insurer at the time the distributions were paid shall be liable up to the amount of distributions received. Any person who was an affiliate that controlled the member insurer at the time the distributions were declared shall be liable up to the amount of distributions that would have been received if they had been paid immediately. If two or more persons are liable with respect to the same distributions, they shall be jointly and severally liable.
(3) The maximum amount recoverable under this subdivision shall be the amount needed in excess of all other available assets of the insolvent insurer to pay the contractual obligations of the insolvent insurer.
(g) If any person liable under subdivision (f)(2) of this section is insolvent, all its affiliates that controlled it at the time the distribution was paid shall be jointly and severally liable for any resulting deficiency in the amount recovered from the insolvent affiliate. (Added 2023, No. 32, § 9, eff. July 1, 2023.)