Liability insurance
There are many different types of insurance policies available, but liability insurance is one of the most popular because it costs much less than many other options. For example, in regard to auto insurance policies, liability insurance costs far less than full coverage. The reason for this is because full coverage insurance must pay for both your vehicle and any other vehicle involved in a collision, as well as property damage and medical expenses due to injuries to you or another party.On the other hand, liability insurance is only responsible for the other party's losses. Your person and your property are unprotected, but liability insurance protects you from being held responsible for the other party's damages.
There are different types of liability insurance, including general liability, which works in much the same way as auto liability insurance, but covers businesses. General liability protects a company from third party claims. Aside from general liability, there is also D & O liability, employer liability, and professional liability insurance.
D & O liability stands for "directors and officers" liability and is intended to cover the acts or omissions of those in the director or officer position. An entire company should not be held liable for the statements, actions, failure to act, or other mistakes that are the responsibility of an officer or director.
Employer liability is also known as worker's comp, and it is a mandatory form of liability insurance coverage that all businesses must carry. While it sounds like it is intended to protect the employee, which it does to some degree, it is actually protection for the employer in case of injury, job related illness, or other damages for which the employee might sue the company.
Professional liability is similar to malpractice insurance, although the coverage may not be as comprehensive as some malpractice policies in different fields. The purpose for professional liability insurance is to protect those seen as professionals or "experts" in a given field, who may not be protected by general liability due to their expertise. When one is seen as a professional, he is held to a higher standard and is therefore often considered to hold greater liability towards his clients. Consequently, he needs more coverage than general liability insurance offers.
The simplest definition of liability insurance is insurance which protects a person or entity from claims initiated by another party.
Article last changed on: 11-14-2008 at 18:22
