Insurance Omnibus Clauses: Determining Permissive User Status in Auto Liability Cases; Exclusions and Limitations
Recording of a 90-minute CLE video webinar with Q&A
This CLE webinar will discuss omnibus clauses in auto insurance policies and the coverage issues arising from permissive use in auto liability claims. The program will offer guidance on how to determine the difficult question of whether an individual is a permissive user as well as address exclusions and limitations on coverage.
Outline
- Omnibus insurance clauses: history, wording
- Applicable statutes
- Establishing permissive use
- Capacity
- Grant of permission: express or implied
- Scope of permitted use
- "Initial permission"
- "Conversion"
- "Minor deviation"
- Specific situations
- Subsequent permissions
- Ridesharing
- Unlicensed drivers
- Rental car
- Use vs. operation
- Multiple policies and allocation issues
- Effect of third-party agreements, such as master service agreements
- Exceptions and limitations of coverage
- Rights of an injured named insured against the permissive user
- Strategies where permissive user denied coverage for other reasons
Benefits
The panel will discuss these and other key questions:
- Are permissive drivers entitled to access the entire policy limits or can insurers limit the proceeds for permissive drivers?
- If more than one policy applies, how are proceeds allotted?
- Do financial responsibility laws override any policy exclusions for unauthorized users?
- In determining whether permissive use exists by express permission, what are good questions to ask? For establishing implied permission?
Faculty

Michael Patrick Hernandez
Partner
Hepburn – Hernandez – Jung
Mr. Hernandez is known in the legal community as an expert trial strategist and has a reputation for winning the most... | Read More
Mr. Hernandez is known in the legal community as an expert trial strategist and has a reputation for winning the most difficult cases. In law school, he interned for the San Diego Public Defender’s office. Mr. Hernandez worked on hundreds of cases and successfully tried cases to a jury before he was a licensed attorney. His countless hours working on high-profile murder cases landed him the prestigious award of San Diego Volunteer of the Month for the County of San Diego in December 2012. Mr. Hernandez has successfully recovered millions of dollars for his clients. He is often consulted and brought on to serious cases by other attorneys in the community to aid in trial strategy and presentation. In 2019, Mr. Hernandez was selected to be a “Super Lawyer,” a title in which only the top 2.5% of attorneys hold. He continues his life work through his relentless advocacy fighting for underrepresented communities that have been injured in an accident or charged with a crime.
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James G. Perry
Senior Trial Counsel
Atticus Injury Law
Mr. Perry is a trial and litigation attorney with Atticus Injury Law, PC, with a focus on personal injury and... | Read More
Mr. Perry is a trial and litigation attorney with Atticus Injury Law, PC, with a focus on personal injury and products liability matters. He is a former homicide prosecutor, who now handles catastrophic injury, wrongful death, government liability, premises liability, and defective medical devices and commercial products cases, among other areas. Mr. Perry also spends a great deal of time writing about and speaking on traumatic brain injuries and related neurocognitive issues. At his core, he is trial attorney, with over fifty jury trials completed, who serves as a Trial Coach for his alma matter, Berkeley Law School.
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