What is considered an occurence in a General Liability Policy?

The commercial general liability policy will cover what the insured is legally obligated to pay due to an occurence. The key trigger here is what is an occurence. There are volumes of case law developed over the years that make that determination. A recent case with the Archdiocese of Milwaukee demonstrates some of the complexity of determining what the policy will cover. The Archdiocese filed a claim against their general liability policy in a case of priest abuse. They made the claim stating that they did not represent that children would be safe under the oversight of priests and thus constitutes an "accident and an "occurence" under the policy. The courts ruled that the abuse does not trigger an accident or an occurence and therefore the Archdiocese cannot use their liability policy for coverage. As you can see unless it is clear cut claim the courts usually determine coverage. Until next time be careful out there and know your risks. K

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