Abuse and molestation coverage, written properly
Abuse and molestation allegations are excluded or sharply limited on most general liability policies. Where a business puts an adult in a position of trust with a child, a patient or a vulnerable adult, that exclusion is the gap a contract, a licensing board or a landlord will ask about by name.
Commonly requested limits
The limits businesses ask for most often are:
Which one you need is usually set by whoever is asking: a school district contract, a facility lease, a licensing requirement or a funding agreement will often name the figure. Where nothing names one, the choice tends to follow how many people are supervised and how much one-to-one contact the work involves.
Usually bought as a package
Most of the time this is not bought on its own. It is written alongside general liability, which answers for ordinary injury and property damage, and professional liability, which answers for the work itself. Quoting the three together is normal for these classes, and carriers that write one usually expect to see the others.
Who asks for it
Tutoring centers and allied health practices account for a large share of the requests. The pattern across all of them is the same: an adult alone with somebody who is not in a position to object.
Start the application for your industry
Pick the one that matches the business. Each application asks the abuse questions in the context of that industry, which is faster than filling in a general form and better for the quote.
None of these describe the business? Use the general abuse and molestation application.
What underwriters look at
- Written abuse prevention policies, and whether staff are trained on them
- Hiring and screening, including which criminal background checks are run and how often
- Whether two adults are present, or one adult is alone with a client
- Video coverage and how entrances and exits are controlled
- Whether any allegation has been made before, reported or not
Frequently asked questions
Does general liability already cover abuse allegations?
Usually not. Most forms exclude it, and where something is given back it tends to be limited and defence-only. Read the exclusion rather than assuming, and if a contract names the coverage, assume you need it written.
What limit should we buy?
Start with whatever the contract, lease or licensing requirement names. Where nothing names a figure, the request usually tracks how many people are supervised and how much unsupervised one-to-one contact the work involves.
Is it claims made or occurrence?
It depends on the carrier and the form. The distinction matters more here than on most coverages, because an allegation can surface years after the conduct it describes. Ask which basis a quote is on before comparing prices.
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