The foundation of a policyholder’s agreement to pay premiums for a standard commercial general liability policy (CGL) is the insurer’s agreement to defend the policyholder against lawsuits and shoulder the costs of the defense. The insurer has “the right and duty to defend any ‘suit’” containing any allegation that potentially falls within the policy’s coverage.
Parties to a lawsuit may have vastly different perspectives on the validity and value of a claim, but as a matter of course, the issue of settlement will arise. Trial is an exceedingly expensive endeavor with an uncertain result. From a risk management perspective, the decision to settle is critical. Yet under liability policies that
This is the first in a series of discussions about issues that arise on a regular basis after policyholders file an insurance claim.
Many liability insurance policies require the insurer to defend the insured. This “duty to defend” usually includes the right to select defense counsel – typically “panel counsel” from a list of pre-approved