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<section article="gin" article_name="Insurance" number="27-504.1" title_number="27" title_name="Unfair Trade Practices and Other Prohibited Practices" subtitle_number="5" subtitle_name="Discrimination">
  <level label="a">
    <level label="1">
      <text>In this section the following words have the meanings indicated.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>“Crime of violence” has the meaning stated in § 14–101 of the Criminal Law Article.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>“Victim” means a policyholder or claimant who suffers personal injury, death, or property loss as a result of a crime of violence.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <text>Except as otherwise provided in this article, if an individual is a victim of a crime of violence, an insurer may not, based solely on information about the individual’s status as a victim of a crime of violence:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>cancel, refuse to underwrite or renew, or refuse to issue a policy of homeowner’s insurance;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>refuse to pay a claim under a policy of homeowner’s insurance; or</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>for a policy of homeowner’s insurance, increase a premium, add a surcharge, apply a rating factor, retier a policy, remove a discount, or take any other adverse underwriting or rating action.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <level label="1">
      <text>If a policy of homeowner’s insurance excludes property coverage for intentional acts, the insurer may not deny payment for a loss to a victim who:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>is an innocent coinsured;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>did not commit, cause to be committed, or direct the crime of violence leading to the loss; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>cooperates in any criminal investigation, including the filing of an official police report, and if undertaken, any prosecution of the perpetrator.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Payment to the innocent coinsured may be limited to the amount of the loss up to the homeowner’s insurance policy limits, less any applicable deductible and coinsurance and any payment to any secured party.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>An insurer may exclude property owned solely by the perpetrator from coverage under the policy of homeowner’s insurance.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>An insurer making payment to the innocent coinsured under this section shall have the right of subrogation against the perpetrator who committed, caused to be committed, or directed the crime of violence leading to the loss.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="d">
    <text>This section does not:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>require payment in excess of a homeowner’s insurance policy limits;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>prohibit an insurer from applying reasonable standards of proof of a claim; or</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>prohibit an insurer or insurance producer from:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>asking an applicant, a policyholder, or a claimant about a claim under this section; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>using information obtained by investigation to evaluate a claim and exercise the insurer’s rights and perform its duties.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
</section>
