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Oregon Revised Statutes

Or. Rev. Stat. § 731.256 (2026)

Enforcement generally; restitution

✓ current as of May 2026
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      731.256 Enforcement generally; restitution. (1) The Director of the Department of Consumer and Business Services may institute actions or other lawful proceedings that the director deems necessary to enforce a provision of the Insurance Code or any order or action the director makes or takes in pursuance of law.

      (2) As part of or in addition to any action or proceeding the director institutes against an insurer under subsection (1) of this section, the director may:

      (a) Seek restitution on a consumer’s behalf for actual damages the consumer suffers as a result of the insurer’s violation of a provision of the Insurance Code or applicable federal law or the insurer’s breach of an insurance contract or policy the insurer has with the consumer; and

      (b) Seek other equitable relief the director deems appropriate under the circumstances.

      (3) If the director has reason to believe that a person has violated a provision of the Insurance Code or another law that applies to insurance operations, and if the violation is subject to criminal prosecution and in the opinion of the director criminal prosecution is warranted, the director shall give the information about the violation to the Attorney General or district attorney that has jurisdiction over the violation. The Attorney General or district attorney promptly shall institute an action or a proceeding against the person as the information requires or justifies.

      (4) An action or proceeding that the director institutes under subsection (1) of this section is an exercise of the director’s regulatory authority and, except as otherwise provided in subsection (3) of this section, does not create a cause of action for any other person. [1967 c.359 §57; 2013 c.618 §1]

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 2 cases (1 in the last 5 years), 1987–2023 · leading case: Hansen v. W. Home Ins., 747 P.2d 1007 (Or. Ct. App. 1987).
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Hansen v. W. Home Ins., 747 P.2d 1007 (Or. Ct. App. 1987). · cites it 2× “Defendant relies on ORS 731.256(1): “The commissioner may institute such actions or other lawful proceedings as the commissioner may deem necessary for the enforcement of any provision of the Insurance Code or any order or action made or taken by him in pursuance of law.”
Moody v. Oregon Cmty. Credit Union (Or. 2023). “ORS 731.256. There is no reason to believe that the director’s apparently discre- tionary authority to do that would be negatively impacted by allowing insureds to bring their own negligence claims.”
— Or. Rev. Stat. § 731.256(1) — 1 case
Hansen v. W. Home Ins., 747 P.2d 1007 (Or. Ct. App. 1987). “Defendant relies on ORS 731.256(1): “The commissioner may institute such actions or other lawful proceedings as the commissioner may deem necessary for the enforcement of any provision of the Insurance Code or any order or action made or taken by him in pursuance of law.”
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