State Codes and Statutes

Statutes > Virginia > Title-38-2 > Chapter-3 > 38-2-301

§ 38.2-301. Insurable interest required; life, accident and sicknessinsurance.

A. Any individual of lawful age may take out an insurance contract uponhimself for the benefit of any person. No person shall knowingly procure orcause to be procured any insurance contract upon another individual unlessthe benefits under the contract are payable to (i) the insured or hispersonal representative or (ii) a person having an insurable interest in theinsured at the time when the contract was made.

B. As used in this section and § 38.2-302, "insurable interest" means:

1. In the case of individuals related closely by blood or by law, asubstantial interest engendered by love and affection;

2. In the case of other persons, a lawful and substantial economic interestin the life, health, and bodily safety of the insured. "Insurable interest"shall not include an interest which arises only or is enhanced by the death,disability or injury of the insured;

3. In the case of employees of corporations, with respect to whom thecorporate employer, a trust established by the corporate employer, or anemployee benefit trust is the beneficiary under an insurance contract, thelawful and substantial economic interest required in subdivision 2 of thissubsection shall be deemed to exist in (i) key employees and (ii) otheremployees who have been employed by the corporation for 12 consecutivemonths, provided that the amount of insurance coverage on such otheremployees shall be limited to an amount which is commensurate withemployer-provided benefits to non-key employees as a group;

4. In the case of a party to a contract or option for the purchase or sale,including a redemption, of an interest in a business proprietorship,partnership or firm or of shares of stock of a corporation or of an interestin such shares, the lawful and substantial economic interest required insubdivision 2 shall be deemed to exist in each individual party to suchcontract or option and for the purpose of such contract or option only, inaddition to any insurable interest that may otherwise exist as to the life ofsuch individual;

5. In the case of a trustee, other than the trustee of a domestic businesstrust or foreign business trust, as defined in § 13.1-1201, the lawful andsubstantial economic interest required in subdivision 2 shall be deemed toexist, whether the life insurance policy is owned by a trustee before, on orafter July 1, 2005, in (i) the individual insured who established the trust,(ii) each individual in whose life the owner of the trust for federal incometax purposes has an insurable interest, and (iii) each individual in whoselife a beneficiary of the trust has an insurable interest; and

6. In the case of an organization described in § 501 (c) of the InternalRevenue Code, the lawful and substantial economic interest required insubdivision 2 of this subsection shall be deemed to exist where (i) theinsured or proposed insured has either assigned all or part of his ownershiprights in a policy or contract to such an organization or has executed awritten consent to the issuance of a policy or contract to such organizationand (ii) such organization is named in the policy or contract as owner or asbeneficiary.

(1952, c. 317, § 38.1-329; 1986, c. 562; 1988, c. 831; 1992, cc. 8, 50; 1993,c. 105; 2005, cc. 656, 698; 2007, c. 186.)

State Codes and Statutes

Statutes > Virginia > Title-38-2 > Chapter-3 > 38-2-301

§ 38.2-301. Insurable interest required; life, accident and sicknessinsurance.

A. Any individual of lawful age may take out an insurance contract uponhimself for the benefit of any person. No person shall knowingly procure orcause to be procured any insurance contract upon another individual unlessthe benefits under the contract are payable to (i) the insured or hispersonal representative or (ii) a person having an insurable interest in theinsured at the time when the contract was made.

B. As used in this section and § 38.2-302, "insurable interest" means:

1. In the case of individuals related closely by blood or by law, asubstantial interest engendered by love and affection;

2. In the case of other persons, a lawful and substantial economic interestin the life, health, and bodily safety of the insured. "Insurable interest"shall not include an interest which arises only or is enhanced by the death,disability or injury of the insured;

3. In the case of employees of corporations, with respect to whom thecorporate employer, a trust established by the corporate employer, or anemployee benefit trust is the beneficiary under an insurance contract, thelawful and substantial economic interest required in subdivision 2 of thissubsection shall be deemed to exist in (i) key employees and (ii) otheremployees who have been employed by the corporation for 12 consecutivemonths, provided that the amount of insurance coverage on such otheremployees shall be limited to an amount which is commensurate withemployer-provided benefits to non-key employees as a group;

4. In the case of a party to a contract or option for the purchase or sale,including a redemption, of an interest in a business proprietorship,partnership or firm or of shares of stock of a corporation or of an interestin such shares, the lawful and substantial economic interest required insubdivision 2 shall be deemed to exist in each individual party to suchcontract or option and for the purpose of such contract or option only, inaddition to any insurable interest that may otherwise exist as to the life ofsuch individual;

5. In the case of a trustee, other than the trustee of a domestic businesstrust or foreign business trust, as defined in § 13.1-1201, the lawful andsubstantial economic interest required in subdivision 2 shall be deemed toexist, whether the life insurance policy is owned by a trustee before, on orafter July 1, 2005, in (i) the individual insured who established the trust,(ii) each individual in whose life the owner of the trust for federal incometax purposes has an insurable interest, and (iii) each individual in whoselife a beneficiary of the trust has an insurable interest; and

6. In the case of an organization described in § 501 (c) of the InternalRevenue Code, the lawful and substantial economic interest required insubdivision 2 of this subsection shall be deemed to exist where (i) theinsured or proposed insured has either assigned all or part of his ownershiprights in a policy or contract to such an organization or has executed awritten consent to the issuance of a policy or contract to such organizationand (ii) such organization is named in the policy or contract as owner or asbeneficiary.

(1952, c. 317, § 38.1-329; 1986, c. 562; 1988, c. 831; 1992, cc. 8, 50; 1993,c. 105; 2005, cc. 656, 698; 2007, c. 186.)


State Codes and Statutes

State Codes and Statutes

Statutes > Virginia > Title-38-2 > Chapter-3 > 38-2-301

§ 38.2-301. Insurable interest required; life, accident and sicknessinsurance.

A. Any individual of lawful age may take out an insurance contract uponhimself for the benefit of any person. No person shall knowingly procure orcause to be procured any insurance contract upon another individual unlessthe benefits under the contract are payable to (i) the insured or hispersonal representative or (ii) a person having an insurable interest in theinsured at the time when the contract was made.

B. As used in this section and § 38.2-302, "insurable interest" means:

1. In the case of individuals related closely by blood or by law, asubstantial interest engendered by love and affection;

2. In the case of other persons, a lawful and substantial economic interestin the life, health, and bodily safety of the insured. "Insurable interest"shall not include an interest which arises only or is enhanced by the death,disability or injury of the insured;

3. In the case of employees of corporations, with respect to whom thecorporate employer, a trust established by the corporate employer, or anemployee benefit trust is the beneficiary under an insurance contract, thelawful and substantial economic interest required in subdivision 2 of thissubsection shall be deemed to exist in (i) key employees and (ii) otheremployees who have been employed by the corporation for 12 consecutivemonths, provided that the amount of insurance coverage on such otheremployees shall be limited to an amount which is commensurate withemployer-provided benefits to non-key employees as a group;

4. In the case of a party to a contract or option for the purchase or sale,including a redemption, of an interest in a business proprietorship,partnership or firm or of shares of stock of a corporation or of an interestin such shares, the lawful and substantial economic interest required insubdivision 2 shall be deemed to exist in each individual party to suchcontract or option and for the purpose of such contract or option only, inaddition to any insurable interest that may otherwise exist as to the life ofsuch individual;

5. In the case of a trustee, other than the trustee of a domestic businesstrust or foreign business trust, as defined in § 13.1-1201, the lawful andsubstantial economic interest required in subdivision 2 shall be deemed toexist, whether the life insurance policy is owned by a trustee before, on orafter July 1, 2005, in (i) the individual insured who established the trust,(ii) each individual in whose life the owner of the trust for federal incometax purposes has an insurable interest, and (iii) each individual in whoselife a beneficiary of the trust has an insurable interest; and

6. In the case of an organization described in § 501 (c) of the InternalRevenue Code, the lawful and substantial economic interest required insubdivision 2 of this subsection shall be deemed to exist where (i) theinsured or proposed insured has either assigned all or part of his ownershiprights in a policy or contract to such an organization or has executed awritten consent to the issuance of a policy or contract to such organizationand (ii) such organization is named in the policy or contract as owner or asbeneficiary.

(1952, c. 317, § 38.1-329; 1986, c. 562; 1988, c. 831; 1992, cc. 8, 50; 1993,c. 105; 2005, cc. 656, 698; 2007, c. 186.)