When running a business based in Los Angeles or anywhere else, it’s important to understand what legal indemnification is and how it can protect you—and your partners—from unnecessary financial losses. In the following article, we’ll discuss the meaning of indemnity, identify several common uses, and explain how to effectively draft an indemnity agreement in the state of California.

What is Indemnity?

In its simplest form, indemnity defines explicit reimbursement of expenses should an action or event cause damages to a party or its assets. In the United States, indemnity appears in many standard contracts—including liability waivers, which protect one party from the financial consequences of another’s action or inaction. In this case, a waiver would include an indemnity clause, as it shifts the financial burden of losses to another party.

Indemnity can apply to any situation that causes financial harm to individuals or entities, so its use extends beyond the legal arena and into everyday contracts. For example, should an employer hire or retain an employee whose actions cost them or their clients money, they could seek indemnity damages from the employee, much like they would in a legal case. Alternatively, employers can attempt to recover financial losses from the business which provided the employee or contracted services, so long as a valid indemnification provision appears in the contract.

In any scenario, accepting indemnity as a form of indemnification means that one or both parties are promising their compensation, should damage occur.

What are the Different Types of Indemnity?

When you begin negotiation or draft an indemnification agreement, the following two categories will likely appear:

1. Contractual Indemnity: This is an undertaking by one party to compensate another party for financial losses incurred due to breach of contract. For example, if A sells widgets to B, but the widgets are defective and B suffers financial losses, then this form of indemnity would cover the losses suffered.

2. Common Law Indemnity: This type of indemnity protects parties from indirect damages, or that which they have no direct or contractual relationship with. This may be the case for individuals or organizations that assist with a project, but are not contractually obligated to do so, such as outside contractors.

What are Common s of Indemnity?

One of the most common examples of indemnity in Los Angeles is the Agreement for Indemnification of Director and Officers, more commonly known as the D&O Agreement. This is designed to protect directors and officers of an organization from any losses suffered through their actions in the role. Without the protection of a D&O Agreement, Los Angeles businesses may find themselves in the unfortunate position of paying out damages on behalf of their officers or directors if claims arise wehre negligence or other faulty actions are the source of the claim.

Another common example of indemnification is found in liability waivers. Participants in high-risk activities sign waivers that include an indemnification clause, which states that they will not sue organizers should they be injured during the activity. Some waivers even carry indemnity insurance and protect the organizers from legal action.

In a more general sense, it’s common to find indemnity clauses in contracts between two parties. This type of clause becomes effective if either party is sued as a result of the contract or suffers economic losses due to another party's breach.

How to Draft an Indemnity Agreement in California

When you draft an indemnity agreement, consider the amount of damages or losses the indemnifying party will be required to cover, and which parties are named in the agreement. This includes any outside parties the indemnifying party may be required to pay damages or reimburse for losses.

In addition, ensure that the agreement explicitly states how and when losses or damages must be reimbursed, by whom, and that the defined losses cannot exceed a certain amount. California has a number of laws that directly guide the language of these clauses, including the California Civil Code 1543, which requires any contract with an indemnity clause to state the fair value of the undertaking.

Also, make sure your agreement stands firm if any party breaches the contract. In the state of California, any indemnity provisions that require payments, no matter the reason, must be reciprocal, in that they require compensation of all parties or none at all.

Topics:

Indemnification,

indemnity agreement,

financial loss