27:1D-9. Public partner may defend, indemnify

9. a. The public partner may agree to defend and indemnify any person, who, pursuant to a written agreement with the public partner entered into in accordance with this act, designs, constructs, operates, maintains, leases or otherwise holds an interest in a demonstration project, against claims, causes of action, demands, costs or judgments against that person arising as a direct result of the design, construction, interest, operation, or maintenance of that demonstration project. The public partner is authorized to reach agreements to defend and indemnify a person upon the terms and limitations the public partner deems reasonable and appropriate.

b. A determination by the public partner to defend and indemnify pursuant to this section does not bar, reduce, limit or affect any remedies which the public partner may have to enforce the agreement between the public partner and the developer to assert a claim for damages to which the public partner may be entitled arising out of the developer's failure to perform the agreement, or for the recovery of funds expended for the defense of the developer if the defense was undertaken in response to a claim or cause of action brought against the developer which is proven to have arisen from gross negligence, willful misconduct, fraud, intentional tort, bad faith or criminal conduct.

c. No one other than the person operating, maintaining, leasing or otherwise holding an interest in the demonstration project pursuant to an agreement with the public partner has the right to enforce any agreement for defense or indemnification between that person and the public partner.

L.1997,c.136,s.9.