Latest Liability Headlines

All the headlines from our Liability Topic Page, ordered by recency.

GOP’s Proposal Limits Virus Liability Claims Against Businesses, Schools, Caregivers

Jul 17 2020 // Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wants to give federal courts jurisdiction over liability claims arising from coronavirus infections to limit the legal exposure of businesses, schools and other organizations as they...

Reinsurance Capital Dips 6%, Tightening of Capacity Accelerates: Aon

Jul 16 2020 // Global reinsurance capital fell 6% to $590 billion for the first quarter of 2020, Aon reported in its June/July Reinsurance Market Outlook report. The report, which also looks at changes in reinsurance demand levels,...

Hiscox Appoints Petrone as Senior Vice President Based in Manhattan

Jul 15 2020 // Hiscox, the international specialist insurer, has appointed Adam Petrone as senior vice president and Northeast regional executive in the U.S. In his new role, Petrone will lead the Northeast region underwriting team in...

Judge Denies NRA Bid to Block Regulatory Hearing on Its Gun Liability Insurance

Jul 15 2020 // The National Rifle Association will have to appear for a regulatory hearing over allegations it violated New York law by marketing an insurance policy for shootings that critics have dubbed “murder...

Allstar Underwriters Expands Vacation Rental Insurance Program to Arkansas

Jul 10 2020 // Atlanta-based Allstar Underwriters has expanded its existing vacation rental insurance program into the state of Arkansas. The program has been offered in Tennessee since 2015, according to Laura Richardson, Allstar...

Munich Re Specialty Releases MPL Policy for Non-Specialist Businesses

Jul 10 2020 // Munich Re Specialty Insurance (MRSI) has released a miscellaneous professional liability product for non-specialist, commercial businesses. Miscellaneous professional liability (MPL) coverage provides liability and defense...

Coronavirus Crisis Heightens Insurers’ Caution About Senior Care Market

Jul 10 2020 // The coronavirus pandemic has made it even harder for senior-care centers in the United States to find or afford standard liability insurance, with rates soaring by as much as 300%, insurance brokers said. Residential care...

CFC Launches Transaction Liability Product for Portfolio Acquisitions

Jul 8 2020 // CFC has enhanced its transaction liability suite of products with launch of a new product designed for private equity firms and businesses pursuing a portfolio of add-on acquisitions for existing or newly acquired platform...

QBE NA Names Lessman Head of Professional Lines and Industry Verticals

Jul 8 2020 // QBE North America has Toria Lessman as senior vice president, head of Professional Lines and Industry Verticals. She is based in Chicago. Lessman had most recently been serving as head of Transactional Liability, one of...

Insurance Costs Rising for Cannabis Firms as Unhappy Investors File Slew of Lawsuits

Jul 8 2020 // Canadian and U.S. cannabis companies are facing a spike in already high costs of insurance to protect top executives from personal liability, following a slew of lawsuits by disgruntled investors alleging fraud and...

Chubb Estimates $1.4 Billion in Q2 Global Losses Tied to Coronavirus

Jul 7 2020 // Chubb’s disclosure of second quarter 2020 global net catastrophe losses underscores the damage COVID-19 is doing to some carriers’ bottom lines. The global property/casualty insurer estimated $1.8 billion in...

COVID-19 Business Immunity Proposal Flounders in Tennessee

Jul 7 2020 // Just a few weeks ago, Tennessee looked like a sure bet to become the latest state to protect businesses and other organizations from lawsuits by people impacted by the coronavirus in the push to reopen the economy....

Hiscox Launches ‘Variable Consortium’ for Hard-to-Place U.S. General Liability Risks

Jul 6 2020 // Hiscox, the Bermuda-based specialist insurer, together with RKH Reinsurance Brokers, has launched a new variable consortium with a maximum line of over US$20 million for a range of challenging general liability risks such...

Do Police Officers Need to Buy Professional Liability?

Jul 6 2020 // Law enforcement practices and reform have been on the minds of many city government leaders in recent weeks. Some groups are advocating that police officers carry professional liability insurance. Let’s examine this...

Mississippi Lawmakers Seek to Limit COVID-19 Liability to Businesses

Jun 26 2020 // The Mississippi Senate is working to limit lawsuits by customers who say they were exposed to the new coronavirus at businesses or medical offices. Senate Bill 3049 would shield businesses, health care providers, religious...

Senators Propose ‘Scalpel, Rather Than Jackhammer’ to Reform Internet Liability

Jun 25 2020 // Two U.S. senators on Wednesday introduced legislation to reform part of a federal law that largely exempts tech platforms such as Facebook and Twitter from legal liability for the material their users post. The...

Do Police Officers Need to Buy Professional Liability?

Jun 24 2020 // I read an interesting article today on Insurance Journal (of course) about plans to reform law enforcement in Minneapolis. What interested me the most was that some groups were advocating making police officers carry...

Legal Liability and Requiring COVID Masks

Jun 24 2020 // States are in various stages of reopening following months of COVID-19 lock downs. As the states progress through the phases, businesses are making key decisions regarding masks, should masks be required or optional? Some...

Hiscox, Thimble to Offer Short-Term Business Insurance Plans

Jun 23 2020 // Hiscox has partnered with Thimble, a short-term liability insurance provider for small businesses, to offer coverage available by the hour, day or month. The partnership will allow Hiscox to give businesses flexibility,...

There’s Plenty of Room for Improvement in U.S. Commercial Lines: Fitch

Jun 22 2020 // With an industry overall combined ratio for 2019 hovering just below 100, and individual lines like long-tail liability moving 10 points over breakeven, the U.S. commercial lines market has “plenty of room for...