48.31B.045 - Violations of chapter -- Commissioner may seek superior court order.

Violations of chapter — Commissioner may seek superior court order.

(1) Whenever it appears to the commissioner that an insurer or a director, officer, employee, or agent of the insurer has committed or is about to commit a violation of this chapter or any rule or order of the commissioner under this chapter, the commissioner may apply to the superior court for Thurston county or to the court for the county in which the principal office of the insurer is located for an order enjoining the insurer or the director, officer, employee, or agent from violating or continuing to violate this chapter or any such rule or order, and for such other equitable relief as the nature of the case and the interest of the insurer's policyholders, creditors, and shareholders or the public may require.

     (2) No security that is the subject of an agreement or arrangement regarding acquisition, or that is acquired or to be acquired, in contravention of this chapter or of a rule or order of the commissioner under this chapter may be voted at a shareholders' meeting, or may be counted for quorum purposes. Any action of shareholders requiring the affirmative vote of a percentage of shares may be taken as though the securities were not issued and outstanding, but no action taken at any such meeting may be invalidated by the voting of the securities, unless the action would materially affect control of the insurer or unless the courts of this state have so ordered. If an insurer or the commissioner has reason to believe that a security of the insurer has been or is about to be acquired in contravention of this chapter or of a rule or order of the commissioner under this chapter, the insurer or the commissioner may apply to the superior court for Thurston county or to the court for the county in which the insurer has its principal place of business to enjoin an offer, request, invitation, agreement, or acquisition made in contravention of RCW 48.31B.015 or a rule or order of the commissioner under that section to enjoin the voting of a security so acquired, to void a vote of the security already cast at a meeting of shareholders, and for such other relief as the nature of the case and the interest of the insurer's policyholders, creditors, and shareholders or the public may require.

     (3) If a person has acquired or is proposing to acquire voting securities in violation of this chapter or a rule or order of the commissioner under this chapter, the superior court for Thurston county or the court for the county in which the insurer has its principal place of business may, on such notice as the court deems appropriate, upon the application of the insurer or the commissioner seize or sequester voting securities of the insurer owned directly or indirectly by the person, and issue such order with respect to the securities as may be appropriate to carry out this chapter.

     Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, for the purposes of this chapter, the situs of the ownership of the securities of domestic insurers is in this state.

[1993 c 462 § 10.]