§33-27-8. Injunctions; prohibitions against voting securities; sequestration of voting securities.

(a) Injunctions. — Whenever it appears to the commissioner that any insurer or any director, officer, employee, or agent thereof has committed or is about to commit a violation of this article or of any rule, regulation, or order issued by the commissioner hereunder, the commissioner may apply to the circuit court for the county in which the principal officer of the insurer or, if the insurer has no office in this state, then to the circuit court of Kanawha County for an order enjoining such insurer or such director, officer, employee, or agent thereof from violating or continuing to violate this article or any such rule, regulation, or order, and for such other equitable relief as the nature of the case and the interests of the insurer’s policyholders, creditors, and shareholders or the public may require.

(b) Voting of securities: when prohibited. — No security which is the subject of any agreement or arrangement regarding acquisition, or which is acquired or to be acquired, in contravention of the provisions of this article or of any rule, regulation, or order issued by the commissioner hereunder may be voted at any shareholders’ meeting, or may be counted for quorum purposes, and any action of shareholders requiring the affirmative vote of a percentage of shares may be taken as though such securities were not issued and outstanding; but no action taken at any such meeting shall be invalidated by the voting of such securities, unless the action would materially affect control of the insurer or unless the courts of this state have so ordered. If an insurer or the commissioner has reason to believe that any security of the insurer has been or is about to be acquired in contravention of the provisions of this article or of any rule, regulation, or order issued by the commissioner hereunder, the insurer or the commissioner may apply to the circuit court for the county in which the insurer has its principle place of business to enjoin any offer, request, invitation, agreement, or acquisition made in contravention of §33-27-3 of this code, or any rule, regulation, or order issued by the commissioner thereunder to enjoin the voting of any security so acquired, to void any vote of such security already cast at any meeting of shareholders, and for such other equitable relief as the nature of the case and the interests of the insurer’s policyholders, creditors, and shareholders or the public may require.

(c) Sequestration of voting securities. — In any case where a person has acquired or is proposing to acquire any voting securities in violation of this article or any rule, regulation, or order issued by the commissioner hereunder, the circuit court may, on such notice as the court deems appropriate, upon the application of the insurer or the commissioner seize or sequester any voting securities of the insurer owned directly or indirectly by such person, and issue such orders with respect thereto as may be appropriate to effectuate the provisions of this article.

(d) Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, for the purposes of this article, the situs of the ownership of the securities of domestic insurers shall be deemed to be in this state.