Rotary International's Liability Insurance policies have been renewed for the policy term July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021. The RI liability policy effective July 1 includes a communicable-disease exclusion that applies to COVID-19.
Communicable-Disease Exclusion
This global pandemic has created tremendous challenges for the Rotary community as well as the for insurance industry. As insurers are inundated with COVID-19 claims for loss of business, most insurers are now excluding coverage for liability claims arising from communicable diseases, including COVID-19. As a result, the current general-liability policies for the RI insurance program have a communicable-disease exclusion. This means the policy does not apply to any liability or any other loss, cost, damage, expense, injury, claim or suit, arising out of, or resulting directly or indirectly, in whole or in party from a communicable disease, including COVID-19.
Only the general-liability policy contains a communicable-disease exclusion. Although there is no communicable-disease exclusion on the Directors and Officers/Employee Practices Liability policies, the program’s D&O coverage excludes bodily injury. That means any actual or alleged bodily injury, sickness, disease, death, emotional distress or mental anguish of any person.
If your Rotary club or district is presented with a claim arising from COVID-19, it should immediately be reported to RI's Risk Management.
Copyright Infringement
With more Rotary clubs and districts active on online platforms - holding meetings and events - please remember the importance of considering copyright-infringement issues. There has been an increase of copyright-infringement claims over the past few years.
When your club or district uses literary, musical, or artistic works such as songs, poems, illustrations, photographs, charts, videos, or graphs in presentations, club or district websites, online or in newsletters, you must obtain a license or permission from the owner prior to use. This includes any songs, photos, etc. you find on the Internet or created by a Rotary member. Simply put, if you do not own the content, do not print or post it without receiving permission from the owner.
New Insurance Site And Updated Resources
The website of Gallagher Insurance, which provides RI insurance, has a new web address: https://rotary.ajg.com. Check with your club or the district for the login.
The log-in is the same as before, with the only change being the site's address. All Program insurance resource documents have been updated. By logging in to the Gallagher Insurance site, you can access the 2020-2021 Certificate of Insurance, an updated information PowerPoint on the Program, insurance-policy summaries, and much more.
It is important for clubs and districts to review the website and its resources, to better understand the insurance coverages provided and to learn more about the information presented, above. Note: The Gallagher Insurance website is for use only by U.S. Rotary clubs and districts and Rotaract clubs. Please share the log-in information your club and district, but do not post it on any club or district web pages.
Crime Insurance
The liability-insurance program does not cover theft of club/district funds or property, embezzlement, paying of false invoices, or check forgery, etc. Theft claims are covered by crime insurance, which is also referred to as a fidelity bond or employee-dishonesty coverage. Some crime-insurance policies include coverage for social engineering. Social engineering is the manipulation of a person in an online environment, encouraging them to divulge – in good faith – sensitive and/or personal information such as account numbers, passwords, or banking information, which can lead to loss of funds.
It is up to your club or district to determine whether or not to procure crime insurance. As every club and district has different needs, it is beneficial to work with a local insurance professional, (broker or agent) who can review your club or district operations and advise on coverage and policy limits. If your club or district has a charitable foundation, you should include crime coverage for the foundation as well as the club or district.
For more information, contact Gallagher Insurance Risk Manager Julita Brzowowska at 847-424-5394 or insurance@rotary.org, Risk-Management Analyst Katie Rabs at 847-866-4494 or insurance@rotary.org, or Claims Manager Ann Berdahl at 847-866-3125 or claims@rotary.org. The Gallagher Insurance main number is 833-376-8279.
