2023 New Mexico Statutes › Chapter 59A - Insurance Code › Article 44 - Fraternal Benefit Societies › Section 59A-44-8 - No personal liability.

A. The officers and members of the supreme governing body or any subordinate body of a society shall not be personally liable for any benefits provided by a society.
B. Any person may be indemnified and reimbursed by any society for expenses reasonably incurred by, and liabilities imposed upon, such person in connection with or arising out of any action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, or threat thereof, in which the person may be involved by reason of the fact that he is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the society or of any firm, corporation or organization in which he served in any capacity at the request of the society. A person shall not be so indemnified or reimbursed:
(1) in relation to any matter in such action, suit or proceeding as to which he shall finally be adjudged to be or have been guilty of breach of duty as a director, officer, employee or agent of the society; or
(2) in relation to any matter in such action, suit or proceeding, or threat thereof, which has been made the subject of a compromise settlement, unless in either such case the person acted in good faith for a purpose the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the society and, in a criminal action or proceeding, in addition, he had no reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was unlawful. The determination whether the conduct of such person met the standard required in order to justify indemnification and reimbursement in relation to any matter in Paragraph (1) or (2) of this subsection may only be made by the supreme governing body or board of directors by a majority vote of a quorum consisting of persons who were not parties to such action, suit or proceeding by a court of competent jurisdiction. The termination of any action, suit or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction or upon a plea of no contest as to such person shall not in itself create a conclusive presumption that the person did not meet the standard of conduct required in order to justify indemnification and reimbursement. The foregoing right of indemnification and reimbursement shall not be exclusive of other rights to which such person may be entitled as a matter of law and shall inure to the benefit of his heirs, executors and administrators.
C. A society shall have power to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the society or who is or was serving at the request of the society as a director, officer, employee or agent of any other firm, corporation or organization against any liability asserted against such person and incurred by him in any such capacity or arising out of his status as such, whether or not the society would have the power to indemnify the person against such liability under this section.
History:
1978 Comp., § 59A-44-8, enacted by Laws 1989, ch. 388, § 8.
ANNOTATIONS
Repeals and reenactments.
— Laws 1989, ch. 388, § 8, repealed 59A-44-8 NMSA 1978, as enacted by Laws 1984, ch. 127, § 793, relating to consolidations and mergers, and enacted a new section, effective January 1, 1990.