Georgia § 33-13-10 - Injunctions; seizure or sequestration of voting securities.

§ 33-13-10. Injunctions; seizure or sequestration of voting securities.

Injunctions. Whenever it appears to the Commissioner that any insurer or any director, officer, employee, or agent of any insurer has committed or is about to commit a violation of this article or of any rule, regulation, or order issued by the Commissioner under this article, the Commissioner may apply to the superior court of the county in which the principal office of the insurer is located or, if the insurer has no such office in this state, to the Superior Court of Fulton County for an order enjoining the insurer or the director, officer, employee, or agent of such insurer from violating or continuing to violate this article or any rule, regulation, or order and for any other equitable relief as the nature of the case and the interests of the insurer's policyholders, creditors, and shareholders or the public may require. Voting of securities; when prohibited. No security which is the subject of any agreement or arrangement regarding acquisition or which is acquired or to be acquired in contravention of this article or of any rule, regulation, or order issued by the Commissioner under this article may be voted at any shareholders' meeting or counted for quorum purposes; and any action of shareholders requiring the affirmative vote of a percentage of shares may be taken as though such securities were not issued and outstanding; but no action taken at any such meeting shall be invalidated by the voting of such 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 any security of the insurer has been or is about to be acquired in contravention of this article or of any rule, regulation, or order issued by the Commissioner under this article, the insurer or the Commissioner may apply to the Superior Court of Fulton County or to the superior court of the county in which the insurer has its principal place of business to enjoin any offer, request, invitation, agreement, or acquisition made in contravention of Code Section 33-13-3 or any rule, regulation, or order issued by the Commissioner under Code Section 33-13-3 to enjoin the voting of any security so acquired, to void any vote of the security already cast at any meeting of shareholders, and for any other equitable relief as the nature of the case and the interests of the insurer's policyholders, creditors, and shareholders or the public may require. Sequestration of voting securities. In any case in which a person has acquired or is proposing to acquire any voting securities in violation of this article or any rule, regulation, or order issued by the Commissioner under this article, the Superior Court of Fulton County or the superior court of the county in which the insurer has its principal place of business, on any notice as the court deems appropriate and upon the application of the insurer or the Commissioner, may seize or sequester any voting securities of the insurer owned directly or indirectly by the person and issue such orders with respect to the seizure or sequestration as may be appropriate to effectuate this article. Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, for the purposes of this article the situs of the ownership of the securities of domestic insurers shall be deemed to be in this state. (Code 1933, § 56-3409, enacted by Ga. L. 1970, p. 257, § 1; Code 1981, § 33-13-9 ; Code 1981, § 33-13-10 , as redesignated by Ga. L. 2013, p. 802, § 1/HB 312; Ga. L. 2015, p. 608, § 3/SB 108.) Editor's notes. - Ga. L. 2013, p. 812, § 1/HB 312, effective July 1, 2013, redesignated former Code Section 33-13-9 as present Code Section 33-13-10. This Code section formerly pertained to institution of criminal proceedings. The former Code section was based on Code 1933, § 56-3410, enacted by Ga. L. 1970, p. 257, § 1; Ga. L. 2000, p. 136, § 33.