Management Liability Insurance

Management Liability Insurance not only protects Directors & Officers for legal liability they may not incur personally in managing a corporation. It also extends to the corporation itself for certain types of claims. The most common form of incorporated entity to which Management Liability Insurance is offered is the proprietary company. The primary rationale behind extending cover to proprietary companies beyond the realm of a traditional Directors & Officers Insurance policy is that protecting the assets of the private company for many Directors & Officers is protecting significant ownership in those assets through their personal shareholding.

Directors & Officers may be exposed to claims brought against them by:

• Shareholders (ie. statutory derivative actions)
• Employees (ie. claims for wrongful dismissal, harassment or wrongful failure to employ or promote)
• Statutory bodies (ie. actions brought by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission involving alleged breaches of a directors fiduciary duties or investigations commenced by Work Cover following a work incident)
• Competitors (ie. allegations of conduct involving anti competitive behavior)
• The Corporation itself (ie. actions brought by a liquidator on behalf of the company alleging insolvent trading)

Management Liability Insurance will generally cover the following amounts in relation to the above actions:

• Representation costs where a Director or Officers is legally required to attend an inquiry or investigation relating to the affairs of the corporation
• Legal costs and expenses in the defence and investigation of a Directors & Officers claim
• Any compensation required to be paid by the insured in order to dispose of a Directors & Officers claim

Actions against the corporation or losses sustained by the corporation generally covered by a Management Liability policy include:

• Employment practices liability claims
• Representation costs in respect of an occupational health & safety investigation
• Direct Financial Loss

Who needs Management Liability Insurance?

Management liability insurance is designed to protect the Directors and the company against financial losses in the event they are alleged to have not met their duties.

All Private Companies and Businesses that employ staff should consider Management Liability Insurance