The Florida Senate

517.141  Payment from the fund.--

(1)  Any person who meets all of the conditions prescribed in s. 517.131 may apply to the office for payment to be made to such person from the Securities Guaranty Fund in the amount equal to the unsatisfied portion of such person's judgment or $10,000, whichever is less, but only to the extent and amount reflected in the judgment as being actual or compensatory damages, excluding costs and attorney's fees.

(2)  Regardless of the number of claimants involved, payments for claims shall be limited in the aggregate to $100,000 against any one dealer, investment adviser, or associated person. If the total claims exceed the aggregate limit of $100,000, the office shall prorate the payment based upon the ratio that the person's claim bears to the total claims filed.

(3)  No payment shall be made on any claim against any one dealer, investment adviser, or associated person before the expiration of 2 years from the date any claimant is found by the office to be eligible for recovery pursuant to this section. If during this 2-year period more than one claim is filed against the same dealer, investment adviser, or associated person, or if the office receives notice pursuant to s. 517.131(4) that an action against the same dealer, investment adviser, or associated person is pending, all such claims and notices of pending claims received during this period against the same dealer, investment adviser, or associated person may be handled by the office as provided in this section. Two years after the first claimant against that same dealer, investment adviser, or associated person applies for payment pursuant to this section:

(a)  The office shall determine those persons eligible for payment or for potential payment in the event of a pending action. All such persons may be entitled to receive their pro rata shares of the fund as provided in this section.

(b)  Those persons who meet all the conditions prescribed in s. 517.131 and who have applied for payment pursuant to this section will be entitled to receive their pro rata shares of the total disbursement.

(c)  Those persons who have filed notice with the office of a pending claim pursuant to s. 517.131(4) but who are not yet eligible for payment from the fund will be entitled to receive their pro rata shares of the total disbursement once they have complied with subsection (1). However, in the event that the amounts they are eligible to receive pursuant to subsection (1) are less than their pro rata shares as determined under this section, any excess shall be distributed pro rata to those persons entitled to disbursement under this subsection whose pro rata shares of the total disbursement were less than the amounts of their claims.

(4)  Individual claims filed by persons owning the same joint account, or claims stemming from any other type of account maintained by a particular licensee on which more than one name appears, shall be treated as the claims of one eligible claimant with respect to payment from the fund. If a claimant who has obtained a judgment which qualifies for disbursement under s. 517.131 has maintained more than one account with the dealer, investment adviser, or associated person who is the subject of the claims, for purposes of disbursement of the fund, all such accounts, whether joint or individual, shall be considered as one account and shall entitle such claimant to only one distribution from the fund not to exceed the lesser of $10,000 or the unsatisfied portion of such claimant's judgment as provided in subsection (1). To the extent that a claimant obtains more than one judgment against a dealer, investment adviser, or one or more associated persons arising out of the same transactions, occurrences, or conduct or out of the dealer's, investment adviser's, or associated person's handling of the claimant's account, such judgments shall be consolidated for purposes of this section and shall entitle the claimant to only one disbursement from the fund not to exceed the lesser of $10,000 or the unsatisfied portion of such claimant's judgment as provided in subsection (1).

(5)  If the final judgment which gave rise to the claim is overturned in any appeal or in any collateral proceeding, the claimant shall reimburse the fund all amounts paid to the claimant on the claim. Such reimbursement shall be paid to the office within 60 days after the final resolution of the appellate or collateral proceedings, with the 60-day period commencing on the date the final order or decision is entered in such proceedings.

(6)  If a claimant receives payments in excess of that which is permitted under this chapter, the claimant shall reimburse the fund such excess within 60 days after the claimant receives such excess payment or after the payment is determined to be in excess of that permitted by law, whichever is later.

(7)  The office may institute legal proceedings to enforce compliance with this section and with s. 517.131 to recover moneys owed to the fund, and shall be entitled to recover interest, costs, and attorney's fees in any action brought pursuant to this section in which the office prevails.

(8)  If at any time the money in the Securities Guaranty Fund is insufficient to satisfy any valid claim or portion of a valid claim approved by the office, the office shall satisfy such unpaid claim or portion of such valid claim as soon as a sufficient amount of money has been deposited in or transferred to the fund. When there is more than one unsatisfied claim outstanding, such claims shall be paid in the order in which the claims were approved by final order of the office, which order is not subject to an appeal or other pending proceeding.

(9)  Upon receipt by the claimant of the payment from the Securities Guaranty Fund, the claimant shall assign any additional right, title, and interest in the judgment, to the extent of such payment, to the office. If the provisions of s. 517.131(3)(e) apply, the claimant must assign to the office any right, title, and interest in the debt to the extent of any payment by the office from the Securities Guaranty Fund.

(10)  All payments and disbursements made from the Securities Guaranty Fund shall be made by the Chief Financial Officer upon authorization signed by the director of the office, or such agent as she or he may designate.

History.--s. 5, ch. 78-435; s. 5, ch. 80-254; ss. 2, 3, ch. 81-318; s. 6, ch. 84-159; s. 67, ch. 87-225; ss. 14, 15, ch. 90-362; s. 4, ch. 91-429; s. 6, ch. 92-45; s. 683, ch. 97-103; s. 599, ch. 2003-261.