General liability insurance, known as Commercial General Liability (CGL), protects your business from another person or business’s claims of bodily injury, associated medical costs, and damage to property. Some examples of what could be covered are below:

• Bodily injury: It is raining outside and a client hastily enters a spa and slips on the floor, which does not have a wet floor sign. The client sustains injuries and makes a claim against the spa owner. A general liability insurance policy could cover the client’s medical costs, including any lost wages, that result from the injury.

• Property damage/data loss: A consultant is working in a new client’s office when they accidentally spill coffee on the server. The machine is damaged beyond repair and valuable data is lost. The consultant’s general liability insurance could cover the cost to replace the server.

• Personal injury: A tax preparer is overheard talking about a client in a false and unflattering way. The client finds out about the conversation and sues for slander. The tax preparer’s general liability policy could cover the defense costs as well as any settlement or judgment.