The Discrimination Case of the Colorado Baker

Suppose you were in the shoes of the widely publicized case of a specialty baker in Denver, Colorado who refused to bake a cake for someone celebrating something against his religious beliefs. Would your General Liability coverage protect you from a discrimination lawsuit?

The answer to that is probably no.

The main reason is that a Commercial General Liability policy is there for injury or damages liability occurring as a result of an accidental incident. In the case cited above, your refusal to provide your services is very intentional.

Moreover, most general liability policies exclude discrimination coverage.

Commercial Umbrella Policy and Discrimination Coverage

Depending on state legislature, some types of discrimination cases that are not associated with employment matters may be covered under Personal and Advertising Injury Liability in various commercial umbrella policies.

Employment Practices Liability and Discrimination Coverage

Unrelated of course to the baker’s story, is a case where an employee may sue for discrimination. In matters like this, Employment Practices coverage, otherwise known as an EPLI policy, can protect the employer.

For additional information about insurance related to businesses, please contact us at Prime Insurance.

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Summary: The widely publicized discrimination case of Masterpiece Cakeshop in Denver, CO raises questions about insurance coverage for any business.