Missouri § 374.071 - Insurance records exempt from public disclosure — release permitted, when.

§ 374.071. Insurance records exempt from public disclosure — release permitted, when.

1.  The following records of the department are not public records and are not available for public examination under section 374.070:

(1)  Any document or other material in any consumer complaint file maintained under section 374.085, including medical records, repair estimates, adjuster notes, insurance policy provisions, recordings or transcripts of witness interviews, and any other records regarding coverage, settlement, payment, or denial of claim asserted under an insurance policy;

(2)  Any document or other material submitted by an insurer or producer under section 374.190, or any other inquiry, information request, or data call initiated by the department.

2.  Any record that is not public under subsections 1 and 2 of this section is confidential and is not subject to disclosure, including discovery or subpoena, unless the subpoena is issued by the prosecuting attorney, attorney general, administrative hearing officer, or under the authority of any court.  The director may only produce the documents or other material to another state or federal governmental agency or officer under a lawful request, subpoena, or formal discovery procedure.  The documents or material may, in the discretion of the director, be made public once admitted as evidence in any administrative, civil, or criminal enforcement proceeding.

3.  The director may release contents of any record that is not public under this section as part of an examination report under section 374.205, if the release is in the public interest.  Notwithstanding any provision of subsections 1 and 2 of this section to the contrary, in all cases, the director may release an incident report record consisting of the date and immediate facts and circumstances surrounding the initial consumer report or complaint.

4.  No waiver of any applicable privilege or claim of confidentiality regarding any document shall occur as a result of disclosure to the director or by the director in sharing documents with other state and federal regulatory agencies, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, and its affiliates and subsidiaries, or state or federal law enforcement authorities, and the recipient of such document is bound by the provisions of this section as to the confidentiality of such document.

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(L. 2005 H.B. 388)

---- end of effective  28 Aug 2005 ----

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