Assault and Battery Insurance Coverage – provides for the costs associated with rectifying specific damages, including medical costs incurred by a patron involved in an incident and lawsuits seeking compensation for mental or emotional anguish. It can also provide coverage for the legal costs incurred by you to defend your establishment against a lawsuit
If you own a bar, a lounge or a restaurant that serves liquor, assault and battery insurance is a coverage option you must not go without. If a patron (or one of your employees) decides to start a fight with another patron, the resulting brawl could garner a lawsuit against your establishment. When alcohol is invited to any party, the likelihood of someone starting a fight increases. Most standard insurance policies exclude this coverage. Establishments which serve liquor, however, have a greater risk seeing an assault and battery claim arise.
The biggest cost facing your business in these types of claims is the cost of retaining a lawyer against frivolous claims. Insurers know this. That is why they sell policies where “defense costs” are deducted from the total coverage. That is, your $500,000 policy is reduced to $400,000 because of $100,000 in attorneys’ fees.
Assault
- An intentional, unlawful attempt to inflict violent injury on someone
- An intentional, unlawful verbal or physical threat to inflict injury on someone
- An intentional act which creates a fear such that the threatened party believes violence is imminent.
Battery
- An intentional, unlawful use of force or violence against a person
- Touching or hitting a person against their will
- Intentionally causing a person bodily harm