TDCI: Three Former Insurance Producers Face $12K Fines, Revocations

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, April 10 -- The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance issued the following news:

The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance (TDCI) announces punishments including civil penalties totaling $12,000 and license revocations/surrender related to three former Tennessee insurance producers who violated provisions of state insurance law.

As a result of the Department's investigations, former insurance producers Dallas Edwin Love, Charles Holman Phelps, and Orvil E. Hendrix must pay civil penalties and are no longer allowed to sell insurance in the State of Tennessee. The sanctions were the result of the work of TDCI's Insurance Fraud Investigations team and the Office of General Counsel who ensure the protection of Tennesseans by holding accountable insurance producers who are engaged in unlawful activity.

"I congratulate the fine work of our team who has helped stop three bad actors from preying upon unassuming Tennessee consumers any further," said TDCI Assistant Commissioner for Insurance Michael Humphreys. "The conclusion of these cases once again demonstrates the importance of upholding the law in order to protect consumers from wrongdoing. Our team will continue to work diligently to investigate and bring to justice those who would seek to line their pockets at the expense of consumers."

Details of the cases include:

* Dallas Edwin Love (Knoxville, TN): A Final Order issued by an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ), effective April 4, 2018, found Love in violation of numerous insurance laws failing to inform the Department's Insurance Division of his felony conviction. The violations stemmed from Love's felony aggravated assault conviction issued by the Knox County, Tennessee, Criminal Court in May 2015. As a result of Love's wrongdoing, the ALJ revoked Love's insurance producer license and imposed a $4,000 civil penalty.

* Charles Holman Phelps (Oviedo, FL): A Final Order, effective April 2, 2018, found Phelps in violation of several insurance laws including forging the signatures of others to insurance applications. In the action brought by the TDCI Insurance Division, the ALJ revoked Phelps' Tennessee insurance producer license and imposed a $3,000 civil penalty.

* Orvil E. Hendrix (Dowelltown, TN): A Consent Order, effective March 28, 2018, found Hendrix in violation of several insurance laws including forging another's name to a document related to an insurance transaction and intentionally misrepresenting the terms of an insurance contract. Hendrix agreed to the surrender of his insurance producer license and the payment of a civil penalty in the amount of $5,000.

Copies of the above disciplinary actions are available for review here: https://www.tn.gov/commerce/insurance/agent-producer-resources/disciplinary-actions.html#H