2020 New Jersey Revised Statutes
Title 17B - Insurance
Section 17B:19-14 - "Confidential information."

17B:19-14 "Confidential information."

66. a. For purposes of this section "confidential information" means:

(1) A memorandum in support of an opinion submitted under section 2 of P.L.1995, c.339 (C.17B:19-10) and any other documents, materials and other information, including, but not limited to, all working papers, and copies thereof, created, produced or obtained by or disclosed to the commissioner or any other person in connection with such a memorandum;

(2) All documents, materials and other information, including, but not limited to, all working papers, and copies thereof, created, produced or obtained by or disclosed to the commissioner or any other person in the course of an examination made under subsection f. of section 63 of P.L.2014, c.81 (C.17B:19-11); provided, however, that if an examination report or other material prepared in connection with an examination made under N.J.S.17B:21-1 is not held as private and confidential information under N.J.S.17B:21-1, an examination report or other material prepared in connection with an examination made under subsection f. of section 63 of P.L.2014, c.81 (C.17B:19-11) shall not be confidential information to the same extent as if such examination report or other material had been prepared under N.J.S.17B:21-1;

(3) Any reports, documents, materials and other information developed by a company in support of, or in connection with, an annual certification by the company under subsection b. of section 64 of P.L.2014, c.81 (C.17B:19-12) evaluating the effectiveness of the company's internal controls with respect to a principle-based valuation and any other documents, materials and other information, including, but not limited to, all working papers, and copies thereof, created, produced or obtained by or disclosed to the commissioner or any other person in connection with such reports, documents, materials and other information;

(4) Any principle-based valuation report developed under paragraph (3) of subsection b. of section 64 of P.L.2014, c.81 (C.17B:19-12) and any other documents, materials and other information, including, but not limited to, all working papers, and copies thereof, created, produced or obtained by or disclosed to the commissioner or any other person in connection with that report; and

(5) Any documents, materials, data and other information submitted by a company under section 65 of P.L.2014, c.81 (C.17B:19-13), collectively, "experience data," and any other documents, materials, data and other information, including, but not limited to, all working papers, and copies thereof, created or produced in connection with such experience data, in each case that include any potentially company-identifying or personally identifiable information, that is provided to or obtained by the commissioner, together with any "experience data," the "experience materials," and any other documents, materials, data and other information, including, but not limited to, all working papers, and copies thereof, created, produced or obtained by or disclosed to the commissioner or any other person in connection with such experience materials.

b. (1) Except as provided in this section, a company's confidential information is confidential by law and privileged, and shall not be subject to P.L.1963, c.73 (C.47:1A-1 et seq.), shall not be subject to subpoena and shall not be subject to discovery or admissible in evidence in any private civil action; provided, however, that the commissioner is authorized to use the confidential information in the furtherance of any regulatory or legal action brought against the company as a part of the commissioner's official duties.

(2) Neither the commissioner nor any person who received confidential information while acting under the authority of the commissioner shall be permitted or required to testify in any private civil action concerning any confidential information.

(3) In order to assist in the performance of the commissioner's duties, the commissioner may share confidential information: (a) with other state, federal and international regulatory agencies and with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) and its affiliates and subsidiaries; and (b) in the case of confidential information specified in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection a. of this section only, with the Actuarial Board for Counseling and Discipline or its successor upon request stating that the confidential information is required for the purpose of professional disciplinary proceedings; and (c) with state, federal and international law enforcement officials; in the case of (a) and (b), provided that such recipient agrees, and has the legal authority to agree, to maintain the confidentiality and privileged status of such documents, materials, data and other information in the same manner and to the same extent as required for the commissioner.

(4) The commissioner may receive documents, materials, data and other information, including otherwise confidential and privileged documents, materials, data or information, from the NAIC and its affiliates and subsidiaries, from regulatory or law enforcement officials of other foreign or domestic jurisdictions and from the Actuarial Board for Counseling and Discipline or its successor and shall maintain as confidential or privileged any document, material, data or other information received with notice or the understanding that it is confidential or privileged under the laws of the jurisdiction that is the source of the document, material or other information.

(5) The commissioner may enter into agreements governing sharing and use of information consistent with this section.

(6) No waiver of any applicable privilege or claim of confidentiality in the confidential information shall occur as a result of disclosure to the commissioner under this section or as a result of sharing as authorized in paragraph (3) of this subsection b.

(7) A privilege established under the law of any state or jurisdiction that is substantially similar to the privilege established under this subsection shall be available and enforced in any proceeding in, and in any court of, this State.

(8) For purposes of this section "regulatory agency," "law enforcement agency" and the "NAIC" shall include, but shall not be limited to, their employees, agents, consultants and contractors.

c. Notwithstanding subsection b. of this section, any confidential information specified in paragraphs (1) and (4) of subsection a. of this section:

(1) May be subject to subpoena for the purpose of defending an action seeking damages from the appointed actuary submitting the related memorandum in support of an opinion submitted under section 2 of P.L.1995, c.339 (C.17B:19-10) or principle-based valuation report developed under subsection b. of section 64 of P.L.2014, c.81 (C.17B:19-12) by reason of an action required by sections 58, 60, 63, 64, 65 and 66 of P.L.2014, c.81 (C.17B:19-1.1, C.17B:19-2.1, C.17B:19-11, C.17B:19-12, C.17B:19-13 and C.17B:19-14) or by regulations promulgated hereunder;

(2) May otherwise be released by the commissioner with the written consent of the company; and

(3) Once any portion of a memorandum in support of an opinion submitted under section 2 of P.L.1995, c.339 (C.17B:19-10) or a principle-based valuation report developed under subsection b. of section 64 of P.L.2014, c.81 (C.17B:19-12) is cited by the company in its marketing or is publicly volunteered to or before a governmental agency other than a state insurance department or is released by the company to the news media, all portions of such memorandum or report shall no longer be confidential.

L.2014, c.81, s.66.