General Liability Insurance FAQ

Also referred to as commercial general liability insurance, it refers to insurance that only covers third party lawsuits i.e. any lawsuit that involves costs incurred to treat injuries sustained in a business property or to cover any property that may be damaged by a particular business. In this context, the cover only extends to third parties i.e. anyone who is not employed by the insured or business.

At the core, general liability insurance covers the finances required to investigate any claim brought about by a third party and any funds required to defend against any lawsuits should they be deemed legitimate. This includes witness fees, attorney fees, court costs, punitive damages and settlements. In certain instances, the cover may extend to a third party's immediate medical expenses and may also cover the expenses needed to repair or replace any of the party's property.

General liability insurance coverage is different for each business and varies depending on unique factors associated with the insurer and the insured e.g. the size of the insured's company, the location of the business, the industry it operates in e.t.c. The most reliable way of finding cost effective coverage is by shopping for rates and doing a comparison.

For example, if a fire in your office injures a non-staff member who happened to be visiting a colleague at that time. As the insured, you can claim the general liability policy to defend the business against costly litigation.

While it's true that both policies are geared towards safeguarding against third party suits, they do not share any other similarities. Effectively, you need both to safeguard your business. Professional liability insurance will shield advice providing employees from bearing the full costs of litigation from external parties as well as any punitive damages in the event the said suit is found to be valid. The policy, however, does not take any responsibility for damaged property or physical injuries hence the need for GL Insurance.

General liability insurance is independent of the cyber insurance policy. Clients who require a liability cover for a data breach can have a clause added to their Professional liability coverage (Errors & Omissions policy) to meet this need.

It's subjective. In some instances, a general liability policy might come paired with a limited liquor liability coverage that is enforceable provided there is no exchange of funds for the liquor. For example, lavishing staff with liquor at an office party makes any liquor liability claim valid. However, if a client wishes to open a winery or any establishment that will be involved in the sale of alcohol then a separate liquor liability cover is required.

This too is subjective. While most GL coverage is inclusive of product liability coverage, the extent of the coverage varies depending on the product. Clients with an incorporated product liability coverage can protect their businesses from any claims of physical harm by their product or service. In such instances, the GL cover will cater for any resulting legal expenses.

In general – yes. Although there are some exceptions, many GL policies do include lawsuits pertaining to advertising injuries such as those dealing with malicious prosecution, unlawful evictions, and copyright infringement e.t.c. Advertising injuries is one of the few non-physical categories that GL policies cover.

Yes. Many commercial general liability policies provide a form of contract liability cover that can be claimed should any of your clients' customers file a dispute claiming a breach of agreed terms and now seek punitive damages as compensation.