Casualty Insurance Principles, Coverages, and Policy Provisions
CGL structure and triggers
The commercial general liability policy has three coverages: A (bodily injury and property damage), B (personal and advertising injury), and C (medical payments). Occurrence forms respond when injury or damage happens during the policy period, even if the claim arrives years later; claims-made forms respond when the claim is made, subject to a retroactive date, and typically offer an extended reporting period (tail). Standard exclusions include expected or intended injury, contractual liability (except insured contracts), liquor liability for those in the business, your product, your work, and impaired property. Note the "your work" exception for work performed by subcontractors - a frequent distractor.
Auto and workers compensation
Personal auto policies cover liability, medical payments or PIP, uninsured/underinsured motorists, and physical damage (collision and other than collision). Know who is an insured: the named insured, resident family members, and anyone using the covered auto with permission. Business auto uses numerical symbols to designate covered autos - symbol 1 is any auto, symbol 7 is specifically described autos, and hired and non-owned autos are separate elections.
Workers compensation has three parts: Part One pays statutory benefits with no dollar limit, Part Two provides employer's liability, and Part Three extends coverage to other states listed on the policy. Workers compensation is generally the employee's exclusive remedy against the employer.
Trap to expect
Personal and advertising injury is not bodily injury - libel, slander, invasion of privacy, and wrongful eviction fall under Coverage B, and a question may try to place them in Coverage A.
Rule of thumb
Match the trigger to the date: occurrence = date of injury; claims-made = date of claim, with coverage lost before the retroactive date.