Vermont § 23 - Confidentiality of investigation and examination reports

§ 23. Confidentiality of investigation and examination reports

• (a) This section shall apply to all persons licensed, authorized, or registered, or required
  to be licensed, authorized, or registered by the Commissioner. (b) Regardless of source, all records of investigations, including information pertaining
  to a complaint by or for a consumer, and all records and reports of examinations by
  the Commissioner, whether in the possession of a supervisory agency or another person,
  shall be confidential and privileged, shall not be made public, and shall not be subject
  to discovery or introduction into evidence in any private civil action. No person
  who participated on behalf of the Commissioner in an investigation or examination
  shall be permitted or required to testify in any such civil action as to any findings,
  recommendations, opinions, results, or other actions relating to the investigation
  or examination. (c) The Commissioner may, in the Commissioner’s discretion, disclose or publish or authorize
  the disclosure or publication of any such record or report or any part thereof in
  the furtherance of legal or regulatory proceedings brought as a part of the Commissioner’s
  official duties. The Commissioner may, in the Commissioner’s discretion, disclose
  or publish or authorize the disclosure or publication of any such record or report
  or any part thereof, to civil or criminal law enforcement authorities for use in the
  exercise of such authority’s duties, in such manner as the Commissioner may deem proper. (d) For the purposes of this section, records of investigations and records and reports
  of examinations shall include joint examinations by the Commissioner and any other
  supervisory agency. Records of investigations and reports of examinations shall also
  include records of examinations and investigations conducted by: (1) any agency with supervisory jurisdiction over the person; and (2) any agency of any foreign government with supervisory jurisdiction over any person
  subject to the jurisdiction of the Department, when such records are considered confidential
  by such agency or foreign government and the records are in the possession of the
  Commissioner. (Added 2001, No. 55, § 3, eff. June 12, 2001; amended 2015, No. 63, § 5, eff. June 17, 2015; 2021, No. 25, § 10, eff. May 12, 2021; 2023, No. 32, § 7a, eff. July 1, 2023; 2025, No. 23, § 1, eff. July 1, 2025.)