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🛡️ '''General liability insurance''' is one of the most fundamental [[Definition:Commercial insurance | commercial insurance]] products, providing businesses with protection against [[Definition:Insurance claim | claims]] arising from [[Definition:Bodily injury | bodily injury]], [[Definition:Property damage | property damage]], and [[Definition:Personal and advertising injury | personal and advertising injury]] caused to third parties during normal operations. Often referred to as commercial general liability or CGL coverage, it forms the backbone of most business insurance programs and is frequently required by contracts, leases, and [[Definition:Regulatory compliance | regulatory]] mandates before a company can operate, bid on projects, or enter into partnerships.

⚙️ A standard CGL [[Definition:Insurance policy | policy]] is typically written on an [[Definition:Occurrence-based policy | occurrence basis]], meaning it covers incidents that take place during the policy period regardless of when the [[Definition:Insurance claim | claim]] is formally reported. The policy responds to a wide range of scenarios — a customer slipping in a retail store, damage caused by a contractor at a job site, or a defamation allegation in marketing materials. Coverage is subject to both [[Definition:Per-occurrence limit | per-occurrence]] and [[Definition:General aggregate limit | general aggregate limits]], and the [[Definition:Insurance carrier | carrier]] typically has both the right and the duty to defend the insured, even if the claim turns out to be groundless. [[Definition:Underwriting | Underwriters]] evaluate factors such as industry classification, revenue, square footage, prior [[Definition:Loss history | loss history]], and operational controls when pricing the [[Definition:Premium | premium]]. [[Definition:Endorsement | Endorsements]] can tailor coverage — adding or excluding specific exposures like [[Definition:Liquor liability | liquor liability]], [[Definition:Pollution liability | pollution]], or [[Definition:Contractual liability | contractual obligations]].

🏢 For [[Definition:Insurance broker | brokers]] and [[Definition:Insurance agent | agents]], general liability is often the entry point into a broader commercial relationship, frequently bundled into a [[Definition:Business owner's policy (BOP) | business owner's policy]] for small enterprises or layered beneath [[Definition:Umbrella insurance | umbrella]] and [[Definition:Excess insurance | excess]] programs for larger accounts. From a market perspective, CGL remains one of the highest-volume lines of business, and its performance heavily influences the [[Definition:Combined ratio | combined ratio]] of many [[Definition:Property and casualty insurance | property and casualty]] carriers. The line has evolved over decades through landmark court decisions and ISO form revisions, and it continues to face new challenges as emerging exposures — from [[Definition:Cyber liability | cyber-related bodily injury]] to social inflation in jury awards — test the boundaries of what traditional general liability policies were designed to cover.

'''Related concepts'''
{{Div col|colwidth=20em}}
* [[Definition:Commercial general liability (CGL) insurance]]
* [[Definition:Business owner's policy (BOP)]]
* [[Definition:Professional liability insurance]]
* [[Definition:Umbrella insurance]]
* [[Definition:General aggregate limit]]
* [[Definition:Occurrence-based policy]]
{{Div col end}}

Definition:General liability insurance - Revision history

PlumBot: Bot: Creating new article from JSON