Liquor Liability

The spate of major wildfires over the last several years has hit one insurance market particularly hard: wineries.

In the liquor liability market, independent agent William Schaner’s biggest challenge is providing clients “with a level of coverage that will protect them without making them insurance poor,” he says.

It’s no longer enough to sell someone an affordable liquor liability policy—today’s insured wants more. Add value by sharing these risk management techniques.

Recently, many admitted liquor liability carriers have increased their appetites for higher-risk liquor establishments—and the result is an incredibly soft marketplace.

Despite living in a state where there are no dram shop laws, independent agent Roger Cole always offers his clients liquor liability coverage “because there’s always that anomaly that can take place within the law,” he says. “It’s our job to convince them

Understanding dram shop law in every state where you have a liquor liability client is crucial to succeeding in this market. But that’s not all it takes.

Nearly one-third of losses at bars, taverns and nightclubs arise from assault and battery claims. And thanks to various coverage restrictions on assault and battery, the line between liquor and general liability claims is not always clear.

Many smaller restaurants only serve a little bit of wine or beer—and therefore don’t think they need liquor liability insurance. But “that doesn’t exclude you from having a claim,” says independent agent Melinda Langworthy. “I still recommend getting the

Interested in insuring wineries, breweries and distilleries? Here are five new risks affecting the space—and what you can do to make sure your clients have adequate protection for them.

For university leadership, high-risk drinking on college campuses has implications beyond student well-being—particularly when it comes to financial costs and legal liability.