Commercial General Liability Insurance: Protection Against Litigation
Some businesses are annihilated in a war with their competitors; others suffer the self-inflicted suicide of bad management, and many fall victim to the indiscriminate plague of a general recession.
For a company without commercial general liability insurance, litigation can be murder. A lawsuit can come during a period of peak financial health and quickly leave a business lifeless, bled of all resources. The business world can be a rough neighborhood, and it can be tragic to ignore options that offer protection from the consequences of liability.
If you own a business, you need coverage so that your business survives when someone suffers an injury caused by an action or inaction of yours or an employee’s. A conscientious company with well thought out policies reduces the probability and the occurrence of accidents, but does not eliminate them. A modest oversight of a simple matter of apparent negligible consequence can suddenly leave a customer injured and the business blindsided with litigation
Skilled lawyers are effective at exploiting the clarity that comes with hindsight. A most subtle, indiscernible factor can cause an accident. After the fact, in court, that small indicator can be singled out and referenced repeatedly until the jury comes to think that only through incompetence or neglect would someone not have recognized this seemingly obvious sign of impending danger.
Even if you win the case, the legal fees that mount up throughout the process can be an oppressive burden on a business. With commercial general liability insurance policies, the insurance provider pays these fees and the policyholder’s business does not sacrifice operating capital to pay attorneys. With most policies, legal fees have no effect on the policy limits. Even if the claim against the business is false, the insurer has a duty, defined in law, to defend. If you lose the case, it is also the duty of the insurer to indemnify, which means the insurer must pay all costs up to the policy limit.
Civil liability has become sport for a large portion of the U.S. glut of lawyers. Every day lawyer after lawyer pops up in TV commercials promoting free consultations and reminding viewers of the prevalence of large sums awarded by juries. It is a “You can hit the jackpot” pitch and it works very well.
Attorney ads must be at least three pounds of the phonebook. All this hawking is motivated by a bead on business, and you could easily find your company in the crosshairs. Take cover. Protect your company with commercial general liability insurance. Call our Tampa commercial insurance specialists at (813) 962-3082 and let us help.