Insurance Challenges + Liquor Licensed Premises + Workplace During COVID-19 + Liability Waivers

It’s all too easy for operators to leave the fine print of their brands’ insurance policies to agents. The world of insurance is complex, and often operators take their providers’ recommendations at face value, or simply let their policies roll into a new year with little examination. But as the industry continues to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic, operators need a new, more vigilant approach to their coverage.

As most operators purchase insurance through an insurance agent rather than directly from a lender, for many, this new approach starts with agent communication.

"Aside from the time when your policy is coming up for renewal, you typically don’t hear very much from your agent," says Brian Mahaney, attorney and founder of plaintiff’s lender liability firm, Mahaney Law. "Many times, agents don’t walk their clients through what has changed. But your agent has the obligation to tell you if your policy has changed. So as your policy is renewing, you really have to have a conversation with your agent and say, ‘Hey, what’s covered and what isn’t covered?’"

COVID Liability Waivers: What Protection They Do And Do Not Offer

August 18, 2020 via Total Food

COVID-19 liability waivers cannot provide immunity to the business from all lawsuits or protections from employees’ claims under workers’ compensation laws or workplace safety laws. Such waivers may, however, limit or even prevent liability for negligence and, accordingly, are well worth considering as part of a business’s comprehensive effort to limit COVID-19 exposure and claims arising from it.