5. Staff Report 2020 Tort Liability Limits
Staff Report
Date of Meeting: December 4, 2019
To: City Council
From: Brenda Eklund, Deputy Clerk
Re: 2020 Tort Liability Limits
Background:
The City purchases liability and property insurance coverage through the League of Minnesota
Cities Insurance Trust (LMCIT).
The City Council must decide each year whether to waive the statutory monetary limit on tort
liability. If the city does not waive the limit, an individual claimant would be able to recover no
more than $500,000 on any claim to which the limits apply, with a total limit on a single
occurrence of $1.5 million. If the city does waive the limit, an individual claimant could
potentially recover an amount up to $2.0 million, plus any excess liability insurance coverage
(Scandia currently carries $1 million). It is estimated that the City saves approximately $500 per
year on liability insurance premiums by not waiving the limit.
Issue:
Should the tort liability limit be waived?
Options:
1) Pass a motion to not waive the tort liability limits.
2) Pass a motion to waive the tort liability limits.
3) Take no action.
Recommendation:
Staff is recommending the Council not waive the limit on tort liability.
LIABILITY COVERAGE – WAIVER FORM
Members who obtain liability coverage through the League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust
(LMCIT) must complete and return this form to LMCIT before the member’s effective date of
coverage. Return completed form to your underwriter or email to pstech@lmc.org.
The decision to waive or not waive the statutory tort limits must be made annually by the
member’s governing body, in consultation with its attorney if necessary.
Members who obtain liability coverage from LMCIT must decide whether to waive the statutory tort
liability limits to the extent of the coverage purchased. The decision has the following effects:
• If the member does not waive the statutory tort limits, an individual claimant could recover no more
than $500,000 on any claim to which the statutory tort limits apply. The total all claimants could
recover for a single occurrence to which the statutory tort limits apply would be limited to $1,500,000.
These statutory tort limits would apply regardless of whether the member purchases the optional
LMCIT excess liability coverage.
• If the member waives the statutory tort limits and does not purchase excess liability coverage, a single
claimant could recover up to $2,000,000 for a single occurrence (under the waive option, the tort cap
liability limits are only waived to the extent of the member’s liability coverage limits, and the LMCIT
per occurrence limit is $2,000,000). The total all claimants could recover for a single occurrence to
which the statutory tort limits apply would also be limited to $2,000,000, regardless of the number of
claimants.
• If the member waives the statutory tort limits and purchases excess liability coverage, a single claimant
could potentially recover an amount up to the limit of the coverage purchased. The total all claimants
could recover for a single occurrence to which the statutory tort limits apply would also be limited to
the amount of coverage purchased, regardless of the number of claimants.
Claims to which the statutory municipal tort limits do not apply are not affected by this decision.
2
LMCIT Member Name:
__________________________________________________________________________
Check one:
o The member DOES NOT WAIVE the monetary limits on municipal tort liability established by Minn.
Stat. § 466.04.
o The member WAIVES the monetary limits on municipal tort liability established by Minn. Stat. §
466.04, to the extent of the limits of the liability coverage obtained from LMCIT.
Date of member’s governing body meeting: _____________________________________________
Signature: Position: ________________________________