Limit on Probes
A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge has thrown into question the ability of insurance regulators to demand agents’ records without a subpoena or search warrant.
Judge David P. Jaffe ordered the state Department of Insurance to reinstate the license of El Monte insurance broker Juan Jose de la Cruz. The department revoked De la Cruz’s license after he refused an investigator’s demand to produce his company’s records for the previous five years. The department was investigating a tip about the prior owners of the insurance agency, which De la Cruz purchased in 1995. De la Cruz argued that the demand constituted unreasonable search and seizure.
The department is expected to appeal.
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Liz Pulliam can be reached by e-mail at liz.pulliam@latimes.com.
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