Occurrence is the event that triggers coverage in most liability policies. The standard definition is an accident, including continuous or repeated exposure to substantially the same general harmful conditions, resulting in bodily injury or property damage neither expected nor intended by the insured.
Whether conduct qualifies as an accident is judged from the insured's standpoint, focusing on whether the resulting injury was intended rather than whether the act was intentional.
Alternative Names:
Accident
Why it Matters?
The occurrence question determines both whether coverage exists and how many limits are available. In construction defect, toxic exposure, and abuse claims, characterizing a series of events as one occurrence or many can change available limits by an order of magnitude, and it drives allocation across a tower and across policy years.
Frequently Confused with
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
Is an intentional act ever an occurrence?
Why does the number of occurrences matter?
