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Guard Against Coverage Exclusions in Your Liability Policy
 Liability insurance is essential for protecting a business against losses caused by injuries or damages the business causes to others. As at least one contractor and a project owner found out, however, the extent of the coverage the policy provides is extremely important. A policy that does not provide the needed coverage is worthless to that business, but a court might find that even a worthless policy is legitimate.
Fort Washington Avenue Owners Corp. hired DNA Contracting to renovate its property. DNA, a general contractor, hired Rauman Construction Co. to do the masonry and roof replacement parts of the project. The contract between DNA and Rauman required the roofing company to obtain Commercial General Liability insurance and to have the policy name both Fort Washington and DNA as additional named insureds. Rauman had an insurance policy provided by Utica First Insurance Co., and the insurance company added the two additional insureds as the Rauman requested. In March 2007, a concrete block fell on one of Rauman's employees and injured him. The worker sued Fort Washington for his injuries, citing its obligations under New York State Labor Law. Fort Washington notified Utica First of the claim and requested coverage, since it was an additional insured under Rauman's policy.
However, Utica First denied the claim. It said that provisions in its policy meant that the insurance did not apply to...
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Greetings!
It's June in New England, and you know what that means - Celtics!
It's that time of year when even those who do not consider themselves to be sports fans sit glued to the television sets. They sacrifice  precious sleep to stay up late and cheer on their team, arriving to work bleary eyed in the morning, and blaming the "damn finals". In reality, they're just caught up in the enthusiasm of having a team make it to the end and, truth be told, they loved every minute of the game. And the real sports enthusiasts? They're not just watching the game, they've got ESPN on nonstop, and they comb the sports pages each day for every little morsel they can find.
After a rocky start, the Celts seem to have hit their stride. Sunday night's game was electric, with Paul Pierce and the boys putting on a clinic for all watching. The fans in Boston were loud and proud all evening as their team overwhelmed the defending champion Lakers. After that dazzling display, the Celtics will head to LA for game 6, hoping to finish off their arch rival and reclaim the title.
Fans are hoping for the same. You're hoping for the same (if you're not, please don't tell me). Wouldn't it be nice if we could be assured of a win Tuesday night? We could watch the game, enjoying all of the spectacular plays and close calls, without worrying about the outcome. We could take the ride, drink in all the thrills and chills, and  yet never have to fear, because we'd know the Celts had it covered.
In the NBA Finals, you don't have that luxury... but in real life there IS a way to rest easy. You can trust the team of risk management specialists at M&M and know that while you invest in your business, we've got the protection end of things covered. We can craft an insurance program uniquely tailored to you, and the specific challenges you face. You can enjoy the day to day management of your company and trust us to assure you success in the event of the unexpected. Don't you deserve that kind of care? We happen to think you're worth it, and we're happy to provide you with all the assists we can. We love being here for you! David Mason, President Mason & Mason Insurance Agency M&M Assurance Group P.S. Become a fan on FACEBOOK! And don't forget to check out our website! We're at www.mmins.com. Just click the "Clients" tab at the top of the page and enter the site with username: "Client" and password: "INFO4U". Happy browsing! If you have any questions, give us a call at (800) 298-0802. We'd love to hear from you! |
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In a High-Tech World, Beware of Invasion of Privacy Practices
 A school district near Philadelphia is facing lawsuits and possible criminal action because school officials remotely turned on students' laptop computers and watched students in their homes. An interest group that focuses on Internet issues recently reported that employers are not paying enough attention to the privacy and security risks posed by employees who telecommute. Researchers at Rutgers University have warned that smart phones, such as Blackberries and iPhones, are vulnerable to a computer virus that records the user's location, movements, and even conversations. Modern technology has enhanced our lives and made us more productive, but it also puts users at risk of having their privacy violated, and businesses at risk of invading others' privacy, even unintentionally. Businesses and other organizations can avoid the predicament facing the school district by asking some simple questions:
- Why is the organization collecting this information and how does it expect to benefit? Does the data meet a legitimate business or operational purpose? How important is it that the organization have this information? The school district argues that, since it owns the students' laptops, it has an interest in locating laptops its employees believe were stolen. Parents and others argue that the school has no right to watch students when they are off school property. Businesses frequently ask customers for data such as Social Security numbers and telephone numbers, but unless this data is essential to delivering services, it might be better to not ask for it.
- What data does...
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Does Your Business Need a Specialized Policy to Insure Against Data Security Breaches?
By the end of 2009, 45 states, the District of Columbia, and two U.S. territories had enacted laws requiring notification of security breaches involving personal information. New York's law is typical. It requires businesses that own or license computer data that includes private information to disclose any security breach of the system to any state resident whose private information the business believes was accessed without authorization. The businesses must provide the notice by mail, phone or e-mail as soon as possible after discovering the breach, inform the state government of the notices, and inform consumer reporting agencies if the breach affected more than 5,000 residents.
Notifying the victims is only one part of the costs businesses that suffer security breaches can expect. They might face lawsuits from the victims, fines from regulators, and serious harm to their reputations. Lockton International has estimated the cost of a security breach to be $15 per person affected. Lockton issued a paper in 2010 that discussed several ways that businesses can avoid cyber attacks and handle those that do occur, including...
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Thank you for taking the time to read this month's newsletter! Remember, your feedback helps shape future issues. We value your input, so please...let us know what you think! Have a great month!
Sincerely,
David Mason
President
Mason and Mason Insurance
M&M Assurance Group |
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Mason & Mason Insurance M&M Assurance Group
458 South Avenue 3304 White Mountain Hwy
Whitman, MA 02382 North Conway, NH 03860
T (800) 759-1452 T (800) 298-0802
F (781) 447-2832 F (603) 356-9290
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