INSURANCE COMMISSIONER v. EQUITABLE

Attorney(s) appearing for the Case

Evelyn O. Cannon, Assistant Attorney General (J. Joseph Curran, Attorney General; Dennis W. Carroll, Assistant Attorney General) all on brief, Baltimore, Martha F. Davis (Deborah A. Ellis, NOW Legal Defense and Educ. Fund, all on brief), New York City and Laurence Eisenstein, (Covington & Burling, on brief), Washington, DC, Sally L. Swann, Assistant General Counsel, Maryland Com'n on Human Relations Glendora C. Hughes, General Counsel (both on brief), Baltimore, for appellant.

Barrett W. Freedlander (Weinberg and Green), Baltimore, Joseph G. Williams, Jr., (The Equitable Life Assur. Soc. of the U.S.) both on brief, New York City, for appellee.

Wendy A. Kronmiller, Wright, Constable & Skeen, all on brief, Baltimore, for American Ass'n of Retired Persons, The American Ass'n of University Women-Maryland, The American Jewish Congress, B'Nai B'rith Women, Equal Rights Advocates, Inc., Federation of Maryland Teachers, AFT-AFL-CIO, The League of Women Voters of Maryland, Inc., The National Clearinghouse for Ending Sex Discrimination in Ins., National Displaced Homemaker's Network, The Northwest Women's Law Center, Puerto Rican Legal Defense Educ. Fund, and The Women's Law Center of Maryland, Inc., as amicus curiae.

Stephen L. Kass, Deborah Goldberg, Monica Bose, Berle, Kass & Case, all on brief, New York City; Susan Goering, American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Maryland, on brief, Baltimore, for American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland, Americans for Democratic Action, Inc., Coalition for Labor Union Women, Federally Employed Women, Inc., Feminist Majority Foundation, Maryland State Teachers Ass'n, National Council of Negro Women, Inc., National Educ. Ass'n, The National Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs, National Organization for Women, National Woman's Party, and Women's Legal Defense Fund, as amicus curiae.

Alan N. Gamse, P.C., Thomas Waxter, Jr., P.C., Franklin T. Caudill, P.C., Semmes, Bowen and Semmes, all on brief, Baltimore, for National Ass'n of Independent Insurers and State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co., as amicus curiae.

David M. Funk, Bryan D. Bolton, Steven J. Troy, Shapiro and Olander, all on brief, Baltimore, for League of Life and Health Insurers of Maryland, Inc., as amicus curiae.

Phillip E. Stano, American Council of Life Ins., and Theresa L. Sorota, Health Ins. Ass'n of America, both on brief, Washington, DC, for Amici American Council of Life Ins. and Health Ins. Ass'n of America, filed on behalf of The Equitable Life Assur. Soc. of the U.S., as amicus curiae.

Craig A. Berrington, David F. Snyder, James L. Kimble, all on brief, Washington, DC; James J. Doyle, Jr., James J. Doyle, III, Doyle & Craig, P.A.,; Robert B. Barnhouse, Deborah T. Garren, Piper & Marbury, all on brief, Baltimore, for American Ins. Ass'n., as amicus curiae.

Argued Before MURPHY, C.J., and ELDRIDGE, RODOWSKY, McAULIFFE, CHASANOW, KARWACKI and BELL, JJ.