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liability insurance

Written and fact-checked byThe Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
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liability insurance, insurance against claims of loss or damage for which a policyholder might have to compensate another party. The policy covers losses resulting from acts or omissions which are legally deemed to be negligent and which result in damage to the person, property, or legitimate interests of others.

In comparison with most other forms of insurance, liability insurance is a relatively recent phenomenon. A very modest amount was written before 1890, but it was principally the introduction of the automobile after that year that spurred the rapid growth of this form of insurance, which now extends to a great many activities in addition to the operation of an automobile.

Other types of liability insurance include professional liability for doctors and other professionals (malpractice insurance), marine liability for boatowners and operators, and products liability for manufacturers of consumer goods. Protection can also be provided against the possibility that one may be unable to fulfill the terms of a contract or against the risks involved in activities that are considered so dangerous to other people or property that the law requires persons engaged in them to assume responsibility for their consequences no matter how much care is taken to avoid damage. Examples of this last type, called absolute liability, vary from one legal jurisdiction to another but may include, for example, the ownership of dangerous wild animals.

Policyholders pay premiums to the insurance company and, in the event damage or injury does occur, the insurance company pays reparations up to the limit set forth in the particular policy.

Product liability and malpractice insurance present special problems because of the increasingly high cost of court awards of damages and because of the public’s high expectations of product safety and physician performance. An additional problem for product liability insurance is that the courts have tended to award damages even in cases where the product was willfully misused. The worldwide nuclear power industry faces a special liability problem because of the immense amount of damage a major nuclear accident can cause. In the United States this problem was dealt with by legislation that enabled the government to provide liability insurance and stipulated the amount of private insurance a nuclear power facility must carry. Similar measures have been adopted in other countries.