How You Can Be Sued for Slander or Libel (And Why Your Homeowners Policy Won’t Cover It).
My Angry Yelp Review Led to a Lawsuit I Couldn’t Afford.
I wrote a scathing, and perhaps slightly exaggerated, online review about a local contractor. A month later, I was served with a lawsuit for libel, seeking $50,000 in damages for harming his business. I was shocked. I was even more shocked when my homeowners insurance company said my standard liability policy would not cover it. Why? Because libel is a “personal injury,” not a “bodily injury” or “property damage.” I was on my own, facing a legal battle that threatened to drain my savings.
The Personal Injury Rider: The $20/Year Add-On That Protects You From “Non-Bodily” Injury Lawsuits.
The Smallest Bill for the Biggest Modern Risks.
After my lawsuit scare, I added a “Personal Injury” endorsement to my homeowners policy. It cost a laughably small amount—about $20 for the entire year. For that tiny price, I now have a massive shield. This rider extends my liability coverage to a whole new category of risks, including libel (written defamation), slander (spoken defamation), false arrest, malicious prosecution, and wrongful eviction. It is the single best and cheapest insurance upgrade for the risks of living in the modern, digital, and litigious world.
My Teenager Bullied Someone on Facebook. We Got Sued. Here’s What Happened.
The “Digital Age” Lawsuit That Blindsided Us.
My son posted some horrible, untrue things about a classmate on social media. The classmate’s parents sued us for the emotional distress and reputational harm it caused. We were blindsided. Our standard homeowners liability offered no protection. Thankfully, our agent had insisted we add a Personal Injury endorsement. That small rider was a miracle. It paid for the lawyer to defend us and ultimately funded the settlement. It saved our family from a financially devastating consequence of our son’s digital mistake.
Standard Liability is for “Slips and Falls.” Personal Injury is for “Slips of the Tongue.”
Bodily Injury vs. Character Injury.
This is the simple, powerful distinction. Your Standard Personal Liability coverage is designed to protect you from claims of bodily injury or property damage. Think of a guest slipping and falling on your icy steps. Your Personal Injury Endorsement is designed to protect you from claims of injury to a person’s character or reputation. Think of a slip of the tongue (or the keyboard) that results in a lawsuit for slander or libel. One protects against physical harm; the other protects against reputational harm.
Wrongful Eviction, False Arrest, Invasion of Privacy: The Risks This Rider Covers.
It’s More Than Just Slander and Libel.
A Personal Injury endorsement is a bundle of powerful protections. It typically provides liability coverage for three main categories. 1) Defamation, including both libel (written) and slander (spoken). 2) False arrest, imprisonment, or malicious prosecution. 3) Invasion of privacy or wrongful eviction. For a landlord, a community board member, or anyone who is publicly active, these are very real and very serious risks that are completely uninsured without this specific rider.
If You’re a Landlord or Active on Social Media, This Coverage is a Must-Have.
The Two Groups Who Need This Most.
While everyone can benefit from a Personal Injury rider, there are two groups for whom it is an absolute, non-negotiable necessity. The first is landlords. The risk of being sued for wrongful eviction or invasion of a tenant’s privacy is immense. The second is anyone who is active on social media. A careless tweet, a negative review, or a shared post can easily lead to a costly defamation lawsuit. In today’s world, this makes the coverage essential for almost everyone.
Don’t Assume Your Liability Coverage is All-Encompassing. It’s Not.
The Gaps Are Real and They Are Growing.
Many people see the high liability limit on their homeowners policy and assume they are covered for any and every type of lawsuit. This is a dangerous assumption. The standard liability policy is actually quite specific; it only covers bodily injury and property damage. The world of potential lawsuits is much broader than that. A Personal Injury endorsement is the key to plugging the massive, and growing, gap for non-physical, character-based legal actions.
A Deep Dive into the Three Categories of Personal Injury: Libel, Slander, and Defamation.
Words Can Be Weapons. This is the Armor.
Defamation is the general term for harming someone’s reputation. Libel is written defamation—a blog post, an email, a social media comment. Slander is spoken defamation—words you say in a public meeting or to a group of people. All three of these intentional acts can lead to massive civil lawsuits. A Personal Injury endorsement is the specific and only insurance tool designed to provide a legal defense and pay a settlement for these powerful verbal and written weapons.
The Small Endorsement That Provides a Massive Shield in Today’s Litigious World.
The Best $20 You Will Ever Spend.
In a world where anyone can publish their opinion to a global audience in a matter of seconds, the risk of a personal injury lawsuit has never been higher. For what is often less than the price of two movie tickets a year, you can add a massive shield to your homeowners policy. A Personal Injury endorsement is one of the best and most affordable values in the entire insurance industry. It is a small price to pay for a huge amount of peace of mind in our increasingly contentious and litigious society.
Protecting Your Body vs. Protecting Your Character.
The Two Halves of Your Personal Liability.
Think of your personal liability as having two parts. Your standard policy protects you if you are accused of harming someone’s body or their property. But that’s only half the battle. You also need to protect yourself from accusations that you have harmed someone’s character or reputation. A Personal Injury endorsement is the other half of the shield. Together, they provide a much more complete and comprehensive defense against the wide range of lawsuits you can face.