February 2015
By: Alan E. Seneczko, Esq.
2015 is a
new year. A time for reflection. A time for renewal. It is also a time when
many businesses renew their insurance policies and reflect on their coverages,
including their Employment Practice Liability Insurance (“EPLI”). This is also
why it is important to understand exactly what you are purchasing.
EPLI is a
policy that covers an employer against liability stemming from employment
practices, such as damages (e.g., back pay, front pay, compensatory damages,
attorney fees, etc.) for unlawful discrimination, wrongful discharge,
whistleblowing, etc. Most policies include a deductible or retention level of
several thousand dollars, which the employer must pay from its own coffers
before any amounts are paid under the policy. The retention covers not only
damages, but any attorney fees incurred in defending the claim. For example, if
the policy has a $10,000 retention limit, the first $10,000 paid on a claim
comes out of the employer’s pocket.
EPLI
policies also commonly contain a reservation of counsel clause, under which the
carrier reserves the right to assign the attorney who will represent you in the
matter. This means that if you have been working with your existing counsel for
years and have developed a good, trusted relationship, he or she may not be
able to represent you when it matters most – like when you are being sued!
Instead, you will be assigned the panel counsel selected by the insurance
carrier.
What
employers do not realize is that they can have a say in the matter. Many
carriers offer a “choice of counsel” option, under which the employer is
afforded the ability to select counsel in a matter. Other carriers may allow
discussion of counsel in connection with renewal, agreeing upon the use of
specified counsel in defense of matters under the policy.
The
lesson: If you like your attorneys and
the quality of representation they have been providing, (including those of us
here at Wessels Sherman), then it is important that you reserve your right to
continue that representation when it matters most – during the heat of
litigation.
Questions? Please
contact WS Attorney Alan E. Seneczko at (262) 560-9696, or email alseneczko@wesselssherman.com.
