John A. Gibbons
1. Assess the policies you have and reassess the policies you should buy in the future.
2020 has brought a host of unwelcome events: pandemics, fires, floods, cyberattacks, financial failures, etc. An insurance program tailored to the risks and business opportunities of your specific company can provide for recovery during dark times, and specialized insurance products can help you safely expand your business. It is time to consider how tailored your current program is, and how you can better align insurance assets to your business in the future.
2. Use indemnities and additional insured status to expand your insurance assets.
Everyday business for many companies involves the use of terms and conditions; sales or services orders; and leases that address indemnification, minimum insurance requirements, and additional insured status. A well-thought-out use of additional insured status can allow you to leverage the insurance assets and insurance premiums of counterparties.
3. Ensure that you get the full benefits of your liability and property insurances.
Insurance policies provide many coverages, policy limits, and extensions that may not be readily apparent, and all of which may provide substantial financial assistance in the event of a loss. In addition, specialized forms of insurance, additional riders, or policy wording upgrades can better tailor policies to your specific business attributes. Use the renewal season to explore your options.
4. Avoid “conventional wisdom” about what is or is not covered.
With insurance, words matter! In fact, the wording determines the outcome. Do not accept statements about what others think a policy does or should cover. For example, claims for intentional wrongdoing and punitive damages often are covered by liability policies. Likewise, losses from your supply chain may be covered under your property policies. Non-payments of debts and breaches of contractual promises are covered under various forms of policies. Let the words lead you to coverage.
5. Give notice once you know of a loss or claim.
Typically, notice should be given soon after a loss, claim, or lawsuit, but remember that a delay in giving notice will not necessarily result in the loss of coverage. Consider the potentially applicable insurance assets that may apply and give notice.
6. Insist your insurers fully investigate claims.
Insurers have a duty to investigate claims thoroughly and must look for facts that support coverage.
7. Watch what you say.
Communications with an insurer or an insurance broker regarding a lawsuit against you or a loss are not necessarily privileged.
8. Don’t take “no” for an answer.
A reservation of rights is almost always the start of the insurance claim process, and a denial should not dissuade you from pursuing your rights. Even if coverage is not obvious at first, it may be there, if you look in the right places.
9. Document, document, document your claim.
Whether it is a first-party loss or a liability suit against you, write to your insurer and document your submission of information and materials. Require your insurer to respond in writing and to explain its position. A well-documented chain of correspondence narrows disputes, helps to limit shifting of insurer positions, or helps to make such shifting very apparent if your claim proceeds to formal enforcement measures.
10. Insist that your insurers honor their duties.
In the liability context insurers frequently owe broad duties to defend with independent, conflict-free counsel, even if uncovered claims dominate the lawsuit against you. In property insurance contexts, insurers have duties to help you on an expedited emergency basis to protect your interests immediately after a loss. It is important to hold insurers to their duties to protect you immediately upon assertion of liability or after a loss—delay only benefits insurers.
The “WannaCry” and “NotPetya” computer viruses that infected computer systems around the world in 2017 sounded a wakeup call. They demonstrated the power of a cyber event to disrupt the core operations of numerous companies and other organizations. Now some fear that another unpleasant surprise related to the 2017 virus attacks may be on the horizon—this time from the insurance industry. A recent lawsuit alleges that an insurer denied coverage for losses arising out of the “NotPetya” virus based on an exclusion for “hostile and warlike actions.” A version of this war exclusion appears in virtually all insurance policies, including cyberinsurance policies, which are supposed to address cyber events like “WannaCry” and “Not Petya.”
On June 28, 2018, California passed a historic privacy bill (AB 375) that mirrors some of the privacy obligations that recently came into effect in Europe under the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”). The new California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (the “Act”) will go into effect on January 1, 2020. The new law requires greater transparency in information practices and gives individuals powerful new rights with respect to their personal information. Complying will be a challenge for many American businesses, in particular those that have not had to grapple with GDPR. 
As cybersecurity incidents continue to mount and as the issue of data security becomes increasingly important and a source of potential liability, companies should consider whether their standard commercial general liability (“CGL”) policies provide adequate coverage. The case law, although limited, suggests that policyholders might face an uphill battle in obtaining coverage.
