Glossary

Personal injury

Liability coverage for non-physical wrongs such as defamation, false arrest, invasion of privacy and wrongful eviction, usually added by endorsement.

Also called: personal injury coverage, personal injury endorsement

In liability insurance, "personal injury" does not mean a physical injury. It means harm from a listed set of offenses: libel and slander and other defamation, false arrest or detention, malicious prosecution, invasion of privacy, and wrongful eviction or entry by a landlord. The standard ISO homeowners form (HO 00 03) responds only to bodily injury and property damage liability, so a lawsuit over a cruel post about a neighbor, or a tenant's wrongful-eviction claim, usually has no coverage and no defense under the base policy.

Insurers add the coverage by endorsement, ISO form HO 24 82 in the standard program, for a modest added premium. Once it is attached, the insurer defends covered suits and pays judgments up to the endorsement's limit, which is often stated per offense. Say you post a one-star review accusing a contractor of fraud and he sues for defamation. With the endorsement, your insurer hires the defense lawyer. Without it, you pay out of pocket.

Look for the endorsement on your declarations page, and ask whether your umbrella policy includes personal injury as well. Intentional wrongdoing is generally excluded, and wording varies by insurer. The personal injury coverage guide walks through typical claims.

Last reviewed October 10, 2026

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Related terms

Bodily injury Physical harm to a person, including sickness, disease and resulting death, that triggers liability and medical payments coverage under a homeowners policy. Personal liability (Coverage E) Coverage that defends you and pays damages if you are legally responsible for injuring someone or damaging their property, at home or away from it. Endorsement A written change attached to a policy that adds, removes or alters coverage, limits or conditions, and controls over the base form wherever the two conflict. Umbrella policy Extra liability coverage, typically sold in $1 million steps, that applies above your home and auto liability limits and may cover some claims they exclude. Exclusion A policy provision that removes coverage for a stated cause, type of loss, property or circumstance that the coverage would otherwise reach. Medical payments to others (Coverage F) No-fault coverage that pays the medical bills of a guest hurt on your property, whether or not you were at fault, up to a small per-person limit.

Related guides

Home cyber insurance and cyberbullying coverage Home cyber coverage is an add-on for ransomware response, data restoration, online fraud and cyberbullying costs. What it covers, published limits and the gaps. Personal injury coverage: libel, slander and false arrest Personal injury coverage defends libel, slander, privacy and false arrest claims that standard homeowners liability leaves out. What it pays and who needs it. Umbrella insurance for homeowners: what it adds and where it stops A personal umbrella adds $1 million or more of liability above your home and auto limits. How it pays, what it requires, what it excludes and what it costs.