Your Neighbor's Attitude is Not an Occurrence
What's the Scenario? with PLRB
The insured has spent months in an escalating dispute with his neighbor over the neighbor’s alleged violation of HOA rules and garish lawn decorations. Finally, the insured takes things too far by aiming his sprinkler at the neighbor’s newly painted shed, ruining an expensive paint job. The insured has been sued, and wants their insurance company to defend them in the lawsuit. Notable Timestamps [ 00:00:32 ] - This scenario involves an insured causing damage by ruining a neighbor's painted shed with a sprinkler, and expecting a defense. [ 00:01:17 ] - The PLRB's Frontlines newsletter is a...
info_outline
Playing Defense Against Negligence Claims
What's the Scenario? with PLRB
During a recreational adult hockey league practice, the goalie skated backward into the crease after a drill and grabbed the top crossbar of the net while stretching and joking with other players. The ice had recently been resurfaced, and the net had not yet been properly secured to the ice. As the goalie leaned his body weight onto the frame, the goal tipped backward and struck him. In a negligence claim between the goalie and the arena, which team takes the blame? Notable Timestamps [ 01:03 ] - Establishing negligence requires meeting four elements, which include having a duty owed, a breach...
info_outline![[REPLAY] My Son Set Off Fireworks in My House show art](https://assets.libsyn.com/item/41827180?height=50&width=50)
[REPLAY] My Son Set Off Fireworks in My House
What's the Scenario? with PLRB
As we hit our next holiday week and listen to the sounds of fireworks, we’d like to share a classic episode featuring the insurance implications of fireworks. So fire up the grill, and put this episode on the speakers. Is there an exclusion for stupid? Join Alissha, Mike, and Tim to discuss bad decisions, wedding rings stuck on fingers, dumpster fires, and whether the choice to set off a firework inside a house is considered “intentional” under the policy. Notable Timestamps [ 00:17 ] - The insured’s son set off a firework in the house for the excitement, causing...
info_outline
When the Claims Executive Became the Claimant
What's the Scenario? with PLRB
As a claims executive leader, Awais Farooq built and oversaw coverage frameworks, liability investigations, reserve governance, and total loss protocols. He believed that institutional fluency would make his own claim predictable. Then he struck a deer on his motorcycle and suffered a significant leg injury. His claim was segmented across bodily injury, property damage, and total loss. Each function operated correctly. Yet without a single point of ownership, the experience felt operationally sound but emotionally fragmented. Notable Timestamps [ 00:37 ] - Awais Farooq experienced a motorcycle...
info_outline![[REPLAY] Herding Weather/CATs show art](https://assets.libsyn.com/item/41596575?height=50&width=50)
[REPLAY] Herding Weather/CATs
What's the Scenario? with PLRB
Right now we’re traveling back from this week’s successful Eastern Regional Conference. So this week, as we head into summer, we’re sharing an episode on how to take advantage of all the services that the PLRB Weather/CATs department has to offer. A supervisor leads a team of very needy CAT adjusters! Over the course of the year, the supervisor fields many questions as it comes up in their claims. Was there hail on X date? Was there lightning in the area? This hurricane is coming soon, where can I get news about it? Winter weather caused a slip and fall!! Where can I find...
info_outline
Rounding the Bases to Establish Negligence
What's the Scenario? with PLRB
We’re calling “foul ball!” A spectator at a local minor league baseball game was injured when a foul ball zipped through a tear in the safety net and broke his arm. The spectator claims that the stadium owed him a safe environment, that it knew about the tear and didn’t fix it, and that the mascot wasn’t even that funny. To score, our litigant is going to have to run all four bases of the core elements of negligence: duty, breach, causation, and damages. Notable Timestamps [ 00:00 ] - A foul ball injury at a minor league game sets the stage for a negligence analysis, focusing on...
info_outline
My Cat Set My House On Fire
What's the Scenario? with PLRB
A cat jumps on the stove to get leftovers, accidentally turns a burner, and starts a kitchen fire. The homeowner has heard of an exclusion that applies to damage caused by animals owned or kept by an insured, and is concerned that the fire will not be covered. Exactly how mad should the homeowner be with their cat? (And how long can they stay mad at that face?) Notable Timestamps [ 00:00 ] - A kitchen fire caused by a pet can initially alarm insureds who may believe the animal exclusion automatically bars coverage for any damage involving their cat or dog. [ 00:53 ] - The discussion highlights...
info_outline
Wildfire: Why Do Adjusters Get a Bad Rap?
What's the Scenario? with PLRB
Wildfire claims are emotional, public, and inconsistent across carriers, so adjusters often become the face of "no." Using a real fire example, we’ll explore empathy, advance payments, uneven guidance, social media comparisons, and follow-through as tools to protect our reputation. Notable Timestamps [ 00:09 ] - Wildfire claims can be highly emotional and public, and adjusters often become the visible representative of difficult coverage decisions. [ 01:28 ] - PLRB recognizes Outstanding Claims Professionals not only for technical skill, but also for restoring lives and setting standards in...
info_outline![[REPLAY] Bumping Brewery Bollards show art](https://assets.libsyn.com/item/41308110?height=50&width=50)
[REPLAY] Bumping Brewery Bollards
What's the Scenario? with PLRB
[REPLAY] This week, check out a podcast featured in PLRB's new PACE Program: "The new PLRB Advanced Coverage Education (PACE) designation is more than a credential. It’s a powerful way to strengthen your claims expertise. PACE begins with a Core Curriculum that builds a foundation in insurance basics and the claims process. From there, professionals can grow through Business LineTracks that support field-specific development, and Claims Intensives that dive deeper into essential topics like fraud and ethics. Developed with PLRB’s long‑standing commitment to high‑quality education, PACE...
info_outline
Fact or Fixture? That Ceiling Tile is Personal Property!
What's the Scenario? with PLRB
The roof of a 100-year-old farmhouse suddenly collapses under the weight of water. The building was insured under a farm policy that, in this case, only provided coverage for personal property and not the dwelling or real property. The insured claims that the carpet, water heater, and even ceiling tiles are all personal property, and therefore covered! What is a fixture? Notable Timestamps [ 00:00 ] - The episode explores how fixture disputes affect insurance coverage, using a collapsed farmhouse roof scenario where coverage depended on whether damaged items qualified as personal property or...
info_outlineDuring this time of year as many people are exchanging presents, I’m sure you’re all wondering exactly how those various gadgets would be classified under the HO3 policy. So for this holiday week, we’re sharing a classic episode featuring an excellent coverage scenario.
The insured, a father of 4, was out buying Christmas gifts for his children. This year he decided to splurge and buy each of them a drone and an Apple Watch. On his way back home, he stopped to get gas, and when he went into the minimart for coffee, a thief stole everything out of the back seat. The insured notified the police and submitted a claim under his ISO 1991-edition HO3. The adjuster considers this to be a covered Theft loss, but she knows there are specific provisions in the policy for watches and aircraft.
Notable Timestamps
[ 00:17 ] - A theft claim is submitted for four drones and four smartwatches under the 1991 HO3. The question arises whether special provisions for aircraft and watches applies.
[ 01:27 ] - The team debates the merits of drones and smartwatches, their capabilities for wall damage and dog-scaring, and the wisdom of being notified emails the instant they are received.
[ 03:09 ] - A $1,000 special limit of liability applies to theft of “watches.” Is an Apple Watch a watch?
[ 03:42 ] - Alissha argues that smartwatches are too different from a basic time-telling watch, and is more like a phone. Smartwatches were likely not part of the original policy intent.
[ 04:55 ] - Mike argues that it’s called an “Apple Watch” -- its makers and users consider it a watch, even if it’s more complex.
[ 06:05 ] - The group quotes Shakespeare and Merriam-Webster; it tells the time and it’s on your wrist, so…
[ 06:30 ] - Grassie v. Merrimack Mut. Fire Ins. Co., 291 A.2d 254 (N.H. 1972) (watches that were inoperable and kept in display case were still subject to special limit of liability for theft of watches).
[ 07:00 ] - Ambiguities are construed in favor of the insured. So both sides need to hire a good lawyer.
[ 07:52 ] - How would the policy treat an iPhone strapped to your arm? Coverage C would likely provide full coverage for a smartphone.
[ 09:51 ] - “Property Not Covered” includes “aircraft”… but “model or hobby aircraft not used or designed to carry people or cargo” are covered.
[ 10:20 ] - Toy drones likely fall under hobby aircraft.
[ 11:15 ] - This scenario looked at what’s covered property, but a drone could also be a covered cause of loss, even if it destroys itself.
[ 12:40 ] - Unlike BP and CP forms, there’s no concern about the loss happening off-premises; homeowners get worldwide coverage for Coverage C.
[ 14:19 ] - In the 2022 ISO form, a $2,000 special limit of liability applies to model or hobby aircraft.
[ 15:51 ] - Under the recovered property provision, if the thief is caught after the amount is paid, the insured can choose to return the payment or have the insurer salvage the goods.
[ 18:00 ] - Tim provides a recap of the scenario and the points above.
Your PLRB Resources
FAQ, Drones and First Party Property Coverage, http://search.plrb.org/?DN=60514
FAQ, Is a Drone an Aircraft Under the CGL Policy?, http://search.plrb.org/?DN=56440
Coverage Question on “Is An Apple Watch Considered A Watch Or A Computer?” - https://search.plrb.org/?dn=58826&src=gsa
Employees of member companies also have access to a searchable legal database, hundreds of hours of video trainings, building code materials, weather data, and even the ability to have your coverage questions answered by our team of attorneys (https://www.plrb.org/container.cfm?conlink=sec/cq/default.cfm) at no additional charge to you or your company.
Subscribe to this Podcast
Your Podcast App - Please subscribe and rate us on your favorite podcast app
YouTube - Please like and subscribe at @plrb
LinkedIN - Please follow at “Property and Liability Resource Bureau”
Send us your Scenario!
Please reach out to us with your scenario! This could be your “adjuster story” sharing a situation from your claims experience, or a burning question you would like the team to answer. In any case, please omit any personal information as we will anonymize your story before we share. Just reach out to scenario@plrb.org.
Sponsorship
PLRB thanks SERVPRO Restoration for its Diamond Sponsorship of the 2025 Claims Conference. "The #1 Choice in Cleanup and Restoration
We have more than 50 years of experience in the cleanup and restoration industry." Visit servpro.com!
Legal Information
The views and opinions expressed in this resource are those of the individual speaker and not necessarily those of the Property & Liability Resource Bureau (PLRB), its membership, or any organization with which the presenter is employed or affiliated. The information, ideas, and opinions are presented as information only and not as legal advice or offers of representation. Individual policy language and state laws vary, and listeners should rely on guidance from their companies and counsel as appropriate.
Music: “Piece of Future” by Keyframe_Audio. Pixabay. Pixabay License.
Font: Metropolis by Chris Simpson. SIL OFL 1.1.
Icons: FontAwesome (SIL OFL 1.1) and Noun Project (royalty-free licenses purchased via subscription).
Sound Effects: Pixabay (Pixabay License) and Freesound.org (CC0).