Definition of "Long-tail liability"

One where an injury or other harm takes time to become known and a claim may be separated from the circumstances that caused it by as many as 25 years or more. Some examples: exposure to asbestos, which sometimes results in a lung disease called asbestos; exposure to coal dust, which might cause black lung disease; or use of certain drugs that may cause cancer or birth defects. These long-tail liabilities became very expensive for many corporations in the 1970s and 1980s, also causing problems for insurers because it was unclear when the situation that gave rise to the claim happened and who should pay the claim. One theory, the MANIFESTATION/INJURY THEORY, states that the insurer is responsible whenever the disease is diagnosed. The other view, the OCCURRENCE/INJURY THEORY, states that the insurer must pay only when the person is injured.

image of a real estate dictionary page

Have a question or comment?

We're here to help.

*** Your email address will remain confidential.
 

 

Popular Insurance Terms

Maximum amount that an insurance company is obligated to pay all injured parties seeking recourse as the result of the occurrence of an event covered under a liability insurance pol ...

Premiums paid out of funds borrowed from the cash value of a life insurance policy. ...

Insurance in which most of the premium (generally 80 to 90%) is invested in traditional fixed income securities. The remainder of the premium is invested in call option contracts tied to a ...

Record of losses, whether or not insured. This record is used in predicting future losses and in developing premium rates based on expectation of insured losses. ...

Written notice to an insured showing date of termination of an insurance policy. ...

Provision of the 1987 Tax Act that excludes life insurance owned by a third party or an irrevocable trust from federal estate taxes. Life insurance, as well as the deceased's personal ...

Policy designed to act as a supplement to Medicare. The supplementation is in the form of additional benefits to that provided by Medicare. The additional benefits are in the form of ...

Life insurance on the life of a child. ...

Life insurance company form to be signed by a policyholder who wishes to surrender a policy that has been lost. The signed receipt then becomes evidence that the policy is no longer in ...

Popular Insurance Questions