WAIVERS
It
has been brought to my attention that at a recent meeting of Queen Mothers they
were apparently told they did not need chapter insurance - that a waiver was
sufficient "protection".
THIS IS NOT TRUE... and if you have ANY doubts, please check with your
lawyer.
If you plan to use a waiver, have your lawyer review it first. Just a step of
precaution worth taking. The waiver, to be worth the paper it’s written on, must
contain very specific wording.
If you are using the old waiver that was posted on the B.C. Redhatters web site
(circulated in the fall to chapters in BC by someone on Van. Is.) - it is not
sufficient. I explained to her the day she sent it out that it was incorrect as
I had accidentally posted our old waiver. I had hired a lawyer to review the
waiver and was told it was not sufficient.
I hired the lawyer to write a new waiver and was told we actually need TWO
WAIVERS:
WAIVER RELEASE AND INDEMNITY FORM
VOLUNTARY WAIVER OF RIGHT
Our Queen Bees and Queen's Council had meetings with 3 lawyers and 3 insurance
representatives, including specialists in areas of commercial liability and a
claims expert. The results of the seminar and meetings:
We were told that we need a minimum of 2 million on our homeowners policy. Best to have 5 million.
It was suggested that if we are a Queen Mother we might wish to add an umbrella policy to our homeowner's policy.
We should look into chapter insurance. Unlike Americans, should we be sued, our homes are not protected and could be lost. The least that would happen is we'd lose our "no claims" rating and pay approximately an additional $2500 in insurance premiums.
We need TWO waivers. One that each member signs at joining. One for each and every event. These will not protect us but might help should we ever be taken to court.
We must have "Event Insurance" for any gathering of red hatters where we have invited others to attend.
Again, when in doubt, consult your lawyer.
It makes the insurance seem well worth the $8-10 doesn't it?