Wash. Rev. Code » Title 49 · Chapter 49.60
Revised Code of Washington

Wash. Rev. Code § 49.60.178 (2026)

Unfair practices with respect to insurance transactions

✓ current as of May 2026
Find cases: SyfertCases citing this section WA-LEGapp.leg.wa.gov JustiaTitle on Justia CornellLII Search CasesGoogle Scholar
(1) It is an unfair practice for any person whether acting for himself, herself, or another in connection with an insurance transaction or transaction with a health maintenance organization to cancel or fail or refuse to issue or renew insurance or a health maintenance agreement to any person because of sex, marital status, sexual orientation, race, creed, color, national origin, citizenship or immigration status, or the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with disabilities: PROVIDED, That a practice which is not unlawful under RCW 48.30.300, 48.44.220, 48.46.370, or 48.43.0128 does not constitute an unfair practice for the purposes of this section. For the purposes of this section, "insurance transaction" is defined in RCW 48.01.060, health maintenance agreement is defined in RCW 48.46.020, and "health maintenance organization" is defined in RCW 48.46.020.
(2) The fact that such unfair practice may also be a violation of chapter 48.30, 48.43, 48.44, or 48.46 RCW does not constitute a defense to an action brought under this section.
(3) The insurance commissioner, under RCW 48.30.300 and 48.43.0128, and the human rights commission, under chapter 49.60 RCW, shall have concurrent jurisdiction under this section and shall enter into a working agreement as to procedure to be followed in complaints under this section.
[ 2021 c 280 s 1; 2020 c 52 s 9; 2006 c 4 s 9; 1997 c 271 s 9; 1993 c 510 s 11; 1984 c 32 s 1; 1979 c 127 s 6; 1974 ex.s. c 32 s 2; 1973 c 141 s 6.]

Notes:

Short title—2021 c 280: "This act shall be known and cited as the Gender-Affirming Treatment Act." [ 2021 c 280 s 5.]
Severability—1993 c 510: See note following RCW 49.60.010.
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 9 cases (1 in the last 5 years), 1981–2025 · leading case: Marquis v. City of Spokane, 922 P.2d 43 (Wash. 1996).
Sort: Relevance Newest Treatment
Marquis v. City of Spokane, 922 P.2d 43 (Wash. 1996). · cites it 2× “RCW 49.60.178 is the corresponding statute defining the unfair practices violative of this right.”
Griffin v. Eller, 922 P.2d 788 (Wash. 1996). “§ 6 (RCW 49.60.178, unfair insurance practices); id.”
Am. Home Assurance Co. v. Cohen, 815 F. Supp. 365 (W.D. Wash. 1993). · cites it 2× “RCW 49.60.178 prohibits discrimination in the issuance of insurance contracts on the basis of sex.”
Am. Home Assurance Co. v. Cohen, 881 P.2d 1001 (Wash. 1994). “) RCW 49.60.178. This state’s insurance code, RCW Title 48, further prohibits discrimination as follows: No person or entity engaged in the business of insurance in this state shall refuse to issue any contract of insurance or cancel or decline to renew such contract because of…”
Brown v. Superior Underwriters, 632 P.2d 887 (Wash. Ct. App. 1981). “RCW 49.60.178 provides: It is an unfair practice for any person whether acting for himself or another in connection with an insurance transaction to cancel or fail or refuse to issue or renew insurance to any person because of sex, marital status, Here, there is substantial…”
Mut. of Enumclaw Ins. v. Human Rights Comm'n, 692 P.2d 882 (Wash. Ct. App. 1984). · cites it 2× “240 that *215 there was reasonable cause to believe that Mutual had committed marital status discrimination contrary to RCW 49.60.178. 2 The Commission then undertook to settle the dispute and eventually noted the case for hearing before an administrative law judge.”
Marquis v. City of Spokane, 922 P.2d 43 (Wash. 1996). · cites it 2× “RCW 49.60.178 is the corresponding statute defining the unfair practices violative of this right.”
Griffin v. Eller, 922 P.2d 788 (Wash. 1996). “176, unfair credit practices); § 6 (RCW 49.60.178, unfair insurance practices); § 9 (RCW 49.”
Hudson v. King Cnty. Hous. Auth. (W.D. Wash. 2025). “] 18 Third Claim[:] Violations RCW 49.60.178 Washington Law 19 Against Discrimination Human Rights Commission Unfair practices with respect to insurance transactions during a 20 Reasonable Accommodations Move for a Disabled Person and WAC 284-30-330 Specific unfair claims…”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.