There's a plethora of others, from Paula Deen to Anthony Weiner, whose persistent digital antics finally went far enough to hammer the last nail into the coffin of his political career. But at least you can say that in Deen's and Weiner's cases, their comments weren't intended for public consumption.

I've just interviewed experts about professional liability, so these egregious cases of foot-in-mouth disease make me cringe—not for the boneheads who are spewing the stupidity, but for the poor corporate risk managers (and their agents and underwriters) who have to deal with the collateral damage. In the words of an expert, “I don't think the U. S. is going to become less litigious, so the need for these coverages will continue to grow.”

Ordinary Joes and Josephines are always being warned about carefully managing their online images: Don't overshare on Facebook, ditch the party photos, don't make jokes or overtly political statements on Twitter. You would think the big brains would take that same advice—especially someone who heads a company that's in the business of protection.

And although it's unlikely that Benmosche's comments will open the door to litigation, such publicly aired insensitivity does something worse: further tarnishes the image of a company that exists to serve policyholders.