The Superior Court of Lewis County upheld Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler’s fine and cease-and-desist order against Armed Citizens Legal Defense Network Inc. for illegally acting as an insurer in Washington.
In March 2020, Kreidler ordered Armed Citizens to stop acting as an insurer. Armed Citizens sells memberships that include self-defense insurance to cover bail and legal costs incurred in conjunction with using force against another person. In May 2020, Kreidler fined Armed Citizens $200,000 for violations.
Armed Citizens appealed both actions and an administrative law judge upheld Kreidler’s actions, but amended the fine to $50,000 and ordered Armed Citizens to pay it by Dec. 7, 2020.
Armed Citizens has until June 24 to file a notice of appeal.
From 2008 to 2019, 25 members nationwide filed claims. Of the 25 claims, two occurred in Washington; Armed Citizens paid $2,000 in one claim and denied the other one, according to the commissioner’s office.
Kreidler has taken similar enforcement action against four other organizations that sell or underwrite self-defense insurance and fined them $302,000.
Armed Citizens and other similar organizations can legally sell insurance in Washington by applying for admission as an insurer and complying with the laws and rules that apply to insurers and insurance producers.
Related:
- Insurer Hit With $102K Fine for Selling Illegal NRA-Branded Policies
- NRA Seeks to Block New York’s ‘Political’ Enforcement Over Liability Insurance Programs
- New York Regulator Alleges NRA Violated State Insurance Laws
Topics Washington
Was this article valuable?
Here are more articles you may enjoy.
Hurricane Beryl Triggers Record Payout for Caribbean Insurer 
Wall Street Pushes Back After Activists Escalate Protests 
Biden Administration Raises FEMA Bar for Flood Resilience 
Damage From Hurricane Beryl May Cost Insurers $2.7B in US, $510M in Caribbean: KCC 
