Commercial General Liability
The occurrence form (CG 00 01)
Coverage A covers bodily injury and property damage the insured is legally liable for because of an occurrence - an accident, including continuous or repeated exposure to substantially the same harmful conditions. Coverage B covers personal and advertising injury offenses such as libel, slander, wrongful eviction, invasion of privacy, and infringement of copyright, title, or slogan. Coverage C pays medical expenses for third parties injured on the premises or by the insured's operations, regardless of fault, usually within one year of the accident.
Limits
General aggregate, products-completed operations aggregate, each occurrence, personal and advertising injury limit, damage to premises rented to you (fire legal), and medical expense limit. Aggregate limits do not replenish.
Exclusions most tested
Expected or intended injury; contractual liability beyond the insured contract definition; employers liability; pollution; aircraft, auto, and watercraft; damage to property in the insured's care; damage to your product; damage to your work (with a subcontractor exception); damage to impaired property; recall of products; professional services; liquor liability; and employment-related practices.
Insureds and endorsements
Named insured, employees acting in scope, and additional insureds added by endorsement (for example, a general contractor). The products-completed operations hazard follows goods away from the premises.
Traps
Assuming defense costs erode the limit (in CGL they do not); missing the subcontractor exception to the your-work exclusion; confusing claims-made and occurrence triggers.
Rule of thumb
If the injury or damage began during the policy period, the occurrence form responds even if the claim arrives years later - look to the date of injury, not the date of suit.