SteadiHub
2007Legal / Business Practices forum

Insurance responsibility and repair liability when equipment is damaged during production work

19 years old. Gear and prices may have changed since.

DisputedParticipants disagreed and reached no conclusion. Read the findings as positions, not as an answer.

What the thread found

  • When working as talent or crew on a production and equipment is damaged during the shoot, the production company is typically responsible for repairs if an insurance certificate was obtained beforehand
  • Insurance certificates serve to establish that production bears liability for equipment damage occurring during the job, including incidents during risky shots
  • A deal memo clause explicitly stating that production is responsible for all equipment damage and will reimburse repair costs from the first dollar, including deductibles, provides important protection
  • Production companies may attempt to deny claims by arguing that equipment failure resulted from wear or component malfunction rather than incident-related damage
  • Wear items like pan bearings that gradually fail through normal use may fall outside insurance coverage even when other damage is covered

Depends on

  • This discussion reflects experiences from 2007 and may not represent current insurance practices
  • The specific outcomes mentioned were still being negotiated at the time of posting and final resolution was unclear
  • No consensus emerged on how to distinguish between incident-caused damage and normal wear-related failures
  • Insurance coverage terms can vary significantly between different policies and production agreements

Parts

Gimbal Bearing, Donkey Box

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