The CGL Policy: Coverage A Concepts, Part 1 – Bodily Injury & Property Damage
By Jason Mangano & Zack Garcia
Jason Mangano is a partner, and Zack Garcia is an associate, in Blaney McMurtry LLP’s Insurance Coverage & Insurance Litigation practice groups.
1 Technical Credit for Level 1, 2, and 3 General Insurance Agents and Salespersons.
To qualify for CE credit…
– Read the entire article carefully, including all its sections and content labelled ‘Mandatory’.
– Select the ‘Mark Complete’ button at the end of each section to track your progress.
– Successfully challenge the quiz to demonstrate your learning.
– Select the ‘Completion Certificate’ link to save and download your personalized completion certificate.
Please Note: CE credits from this HyperArticleTM can only be used once towards your CE requirements every three licence periods. For further information on CE regulations, please refer to the Insurance Council of BC’s website.
Overview
The commercial general liability (CGL) policy is the standard policy of insurance issued to businesses and commercial organizations to insure against third-party liability for, among other things, bodily injury and property damage that arise out of the course of the insured’s business operations. The CGL policy is sometimes referred to, in a nutshell, as the policy that insures businesses from third-party claims resulting from accidents, including negligent behaviour, for which the insured is legally obligated to pay damages. At the same time, as has been argued on countless occasions by insurers with some success, the CGL policy is not a warranty or performance bond to be looked to in the event of product or workmanship failures.
This HyperArticle™, presented in two parts, focuses on judicial interpretations of certain terminology and exclusions from Coverage A of the CGL policy. In this part – Part 1: Bodily Injury & Property Damage – you’ll focus on the meaning of “bodily injury” and “property damage” as those terms are typically defined in the CGL policy. In Part 2: Business-risk Exclusions, you’ll explore the scope and judicial interpretation of the typical “business-risks” exclusions from coverage.
When you’re ready, please go to the first content section…
