Farmers Insurance has changed its policy with regards to liability insurance that is required in California to cover dog bite cases. They have decided to no longer provide coverage for three breeds: pit bulls, rottweilers and wolf hybrids. They are not cancelling policies, yet agents have been requiring customers to sign exclusion waiver of liability coverage for dog bites. Without the signature the policy will not be renewed.
Breed bans are illegal in California and this is seen as an insurance company tactic to keep dog owners away from those three breeds. While it is true that pit bulls and rottweilers account for over half of fatal dog attacks in the country, there are 11 breeds considered the most dangerous. Farmers has chosen to target these three for now.
The victim of a dog bite will be the one to suffer the most from Farmers policy change. People injured by a dog bite or in a dog attack face medical bills and perhaps surgey costs and loss of wages. Farmers is being irresponsible by adopting a blanket policy of exclusion of liability coverage for these three breeds. They should adopt a better policy that makes sure victims of dog bites dont continue to suffer long after the dog attack.
It remains to be seen if other insurance companies will go the way of Farmers Insurance.