[Organizers] Liability insurance

[Dave Casserly via Organizers]

I've asked this question a few times, and I have literally never heard a
single anecdote of a contra dancer suing a dance organization.

When I ran a dance series, we were almost entirely judgment-proof; we
probably did not even have enough assets to cover the deductible on our
insurance policy.  The only reason we had insurance was because at least
one venue required it.  If you are lucky enough to find a venue that does
not require a liability insurance policy, then don't carry one.  The risks
are minimal-- maybe a 1 in 10,000 chance (I'd guess less) of being sued and
losing, what, a couple thousand bucks of sound equipment?  Versus paying
$500 or more every year for perpetuity, then having to lose half your
assets to cover a deductible / spend loads of time and effort fighting an
insurance company to get it to cover costs or defend you if you're sued
anyway.

Plus, that HMO lawyer who was looking to recoup what it spent on some
lady's medical bills is going to look elsewhere if you don't have insurance
and also don't have significant assets.  Not worth spending $10,000 on a
lawsuit to possibly recover a few pieces of sound equipment worth $800 used
and a bank account balance of $230.

This goes for dances that are incorporated as nonprofits and are a typical
contra dance organization-- small assets, running only a weekly or monthly
dance.  Large organizations like FSGW or NEFFA or BACDS will obviously have
larger assets and that's a different question entirely.

Those of you talking about ASCAP or whomever looking for fees, that's
separate.  Getting liability insurance wouldn't cover a copyright
infringement action from ASCAP anyway.

On Mon, Aug 14, 2017 at 1:27 PM, Mac Mckeever via Organizers <
organizers at lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:

> We had a problem where a dancer fell and broke her arm.  Her health
> insurance covered her treatment.  They called her and demanded to know who
> we were and who owned the venue.  She said OK - but if anyone asks I will
> tell them I was a klutz and fell - it was my own fault.  AT that point the
> insurance co dropped it.
>
> I was told is it common for insurance companies to try to recover their
> costs via law suits.
>
> If you have any assets at all they need to be protected.  In our state,
> officers of not-for-profit cannot be sued for liability issues - and we are
> all volunteers.  Make sure your organizers are not vulnerable
>
> Mac McKeever
>
>
> ------------------------------
> *From:* Mary Anne Eason via Organizers <organizers at lists.sharedweight.net>
> *To:* organizers at lists.sharedweight.net
> *Sent:* Monday, August 14, 2017 12:14 PM
> *Subject:* Re: [Organizers] Liability insurance
>
> Our smallish dance has had liability insurance for the past several
> years because the venue required it. We also had to have their name
> added to the contract which cost another $30 on top of the other fees
> you have already mentioned. I have been at a couple dances where
> accidents have happened, and someone could have sued, but fortunately
> didn't. I've felt better knowing we have the insurance, but we really
> can't afford it and our bands and callers have suffered because we had
> less money to pay them. (We try to hold back a little each month to help
> cover those costs as well as the cost of the hall.) I don't know what
> the solution is - sorry!
>
> Mary Anne
>
> On 8/14/2017 12:38 PM, John W Gintell via Organizers wrote:
> > I am wondering whether most dance series have liability insurance -
> particularly  small ones.
> >
> > Insurance for a dance series from CDSS costs $450, $550, … depending on
> the number of dances plus $85 membership fee every year. I suspect other
> sources would be more expensive. For a small dance with few financial
> reserves, the extra fees each year could easily drive it to extinction.
> >
> > I know that sone venues require that the group has insurance, but not
> all do.
> >
> > What is the risk of not having it? Any recent incidents in the past few
> years?
> >
> > I’d think possible suits could be from dancers or musicians/callers who
> got injured or thought they were treated badly, venues where there was
> damage to the site.
> >
> > What about ASCAP copy infringement suits? Have there been any of these?
> >
> > Anything else?
> >
> >     John
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>
> >
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-- 
David Casserly
(cell) 781 258-2761
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