George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died on May 25 in Minneapolis while in police custody. As has often been the case in recent years, the incident was recorded in real-time and instantly went viral on the internet. Protests in Minneapolis and across the country soon followed. While most protests were peaceful, destruction to property did occur. The Property Claim Services (PCS), a unit of Verisk Analytics, designated the riots in Minneapolis as a catastrophe. The Minneapolis civil disorder is the first time that PCS has compiled insured losses for a civil disorder event since the Baltimore, Maryland, riots of April 2015. By June 4, at least 40 cities in 23 states had imposed curfews, and PCS included over 20 states with significant losses for this catastrophe.

Insurance coverage

In the wake of these protests, questions have been raised about insurance coverage options that are designed for such moments. The Insurance Information Institute outlined coverage that can help. Auto: Damage to cars is covered under the optional comprehensive portion of an auto policy. It provides reimbursement for damage to the vehicle and its content caused by fire, falling objects, vandalism or not. Home: Standard homeowners policies will cover damage to the property and its contents caused by fire, an explosion, a riot or civil commotion, vandalism or malicious mischief. Business: Damage to the physical plant of a business and its contents caused by fire, riots, civil commotion or vandalism is covered under a business owners policy. History is riddled with clashes between the public and law enforcement, and this will likely only continue going forward. With this in mind, explore the slideshow above to see the Insurance Information Institute's list of the costliest civil disorders in the United States. Related:

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Denny Jacob

Denny Jacob is an associate editor for NU PropertyCasualty360. Contact him at [email protected].

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