I am sure you will know that businesses can be held vicariously liable for the actions of their employees. There has been considerable case law around this in the context of abuse and much debate about, in particular, historic abuse claims.

To make the process easier for claimants, the government is to remove the statutory three year limit to bring child abuse claims and the onus will switch from the plaintiff to the defendant to prove that the time elapsed has not resulted in the lack of a fair trial.

There is a whole raft of potential areas of claim for abuse including:

• Child abuse: Any form of abuse experienced during childhood.
• Sexual abuse: Incidents that occurred over a period of time during your childhood or adulthood.
• Rape: Any non-consensual sexual intercourse.
• Sexual assault: Any unwanted sexual act or behaviour.
• Domestic violence: Abuse that occurred over a period of time within a domestic setting.
• Physical abuse
• Psychological/emotional abuse: Actions that caused significant emotional or psychological damage.

Not every liability policy covers abuse claims.  It is particularly important for any business employing or dealing with persons under 18 or vulnerable adults, but literally any business can be at risk.

Talk to Vista to find out how this could impact you and how to due diligence your coverage by contacting us on 0161 393 7111 or email us on info@vistainsurance.co.uk