A fight breaks out, someone gets hurt, and the bar gets sued. The owner assumes liquor liability has it covered. Then they find the assault and battery exclusion — and the claim is theirs to pay.
Many general liability and even liquor liability policies specifically exclude claims arising from assault and battery. For a quiet café that's fine. For a bar, a nightclub, or any venue with a crowd and alcohol, it's a hole where your biggest lawsuits live.
Alcohol plus crowds plus late nights plus security decisions equals exactly the kind of incident the exclusion carves out. Suits can name the venue for over-serving, for inadequate security, for how staff handled it. Without assault-and-battery coverage, defense and any judgment come out of your pocket.
Assault and battery coverage can sometimes be added back by endorsement, often with its own sublimit. Some venues that serve heavily need a specialty market for it. It's not always cheap — but it's cheaper than a self-funded lawsuit. See our restaurant insurance page.
Pair assault-and-battery coverage with proper liquor liability — see our liquor liability article — and make sure your security practices match what the policy assumes.
One caution: read the sublimit. Assault-and-battery "coverage" capped far below your real exposure is only partial protection — know the number.
Let's check your policy for the assault-and-battery exclusion before it costs you a self-funded lawsuit.
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