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Cincinnati Insurance seeks to deny $13m claim over safety services clause
The carrier filed a declaratory judgment suit in Nebraska federal court over an endorsement it says excludes bodily injury tied to certain professional safety services.
Cincinnati Insurance Company has asked a federal judge in Nebraska to rule it owes no coverage to an agency client in a dispute tied to a proposed $13 million injury demand.
According to a declaratory judgment complaint filed July 22, 2026, the case centers on coverage for workplace-safety services provided through Ellerbrock-Norris Agency, Inc., which also sells insurance and describes itself as a “holistic risk management” agency.
The filing says Ellerbrock-Norris ran a paid program called the ENCORE Safety Network, and that in August 2024 a general contractor, Scribner Enterprises, signed up for a quarterly-fee “Bronze Tier” membership.
Cincinnati alleges that during roof work in Omaha that began November 19, 2024, a worker fell about 18 feet after stepping into an opening left by a removed roof panel, and suffered catastrophic injuries, including a severe traumatic brain injury. The complaint says the worker’s attorneys demanded $13,000,000.00 in February 2026, and that an ensuing lawsuit in Douglas County District Court was later tendered to Cincinnati, which moved to federal court after investigating and issuing a reservation of rights letter.
The coverage fight, Cincinnati says, turns on an endorsement it calls the “Insurance and Related Operations” exclusion, which the carrier argues removes coverage for bodily injury tied to the rendering of, or failure to render, certain professional services described in the policy.