What's the Scenario? with PLRB

About What's the Scenario? with PLRB

Formerly "PLRB on Demand", this podcast feed is being rebooted as "What's the Scenario? with PLRB." Each week you'll find a 20-minute episode that addresses a claims or coverage scenario and answers interesting insurance questions. Our PLRB team of Alissha Watley, Mike Brode, and Tim Havlir will discuss terrorism, pandemics, fireworks, NFTs, aggressive contractors, phone scams, matching, vacation rentals, and more. Stay subscribed to this feed and check back in the new year for a new podcast. Subscribe to this Podcast Your Podcast App - Please subscribe and rate us on your favorite podcast app YouTube - Please like and subscribe at youtube.com/@plrb/ LinkedIn - Please follow at "Property and Liability Resource Bureau" Send us your scenario! Please reach out to us with your scenario! This could be your "adjuster story" sharing a situation from your claims experience, or a burning question you would like the team to answer. In any case, please omit any personal information as we will anonymize your story before we share. Just reach out to scenario@plrb.org. If you send us an audio clip, we may use the audio in the show, though again we will only include material we can anonymize. Legal Information The views and opinions expressed in this resource are those of the individual speaker and not necessarily those of the Property & Liability Resource Bureau (PLRB), its membership, or any organization with which the presenter is employed or affiliated. The information, ideas, and opinions are presented as information only and not as legal advice or offers of representation. Individual policy language and state laws vary, and listeners should rely on guidance from their companies and counsel as appropriate.

Publisher

PLRB

Category

business · education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

4 Sept 2019

Latest episode

30 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

257 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   30 Oct 2026

   Oops! Is a Hardware Store a Subcontractor?

   An insured purchased brick, mortar, and other masonry materials from a local building supply company, then used its own employees to build the brick veneer and masonry of a home, install the windows, and finish the exterior deck. After the work was completed, cracks formed in the masonry that let water infiltrate and damage other parts of the home - and the question became whether the building supply company, which only furnished materials and did no construction work itself, could be pulled into the claim as a "subcontractor." Notable Timestamps [ 00:49 ] - Mike lays out the scenario: an insured built brick veneer and masonry walls with materials bought from a local building supply company, and when the finished masonry later let water infiltrate, the question became whether that supplier counts as a "subcontractor" too. [ 01:52 ] - Brennan voices the supplier's likely defense - "we're not a subcontractor, we're a hardware store" - setting up why the subcontractor label matters so much here. [ 02:34 ] - The hosts turn to the j(5) ongoing-operations exclusion, noting it doesn't carve subcontractors back in the way the completed-operations exclusion under l does. [ 03:51 ] - Under the "your work" definition, part (2) sweeps in "materials, parts or equipment furnished in connection with" the work - potentially pulling a materials supplier into the exclusion even without any hands-on construction. [ 05:07 ] - Brennan unpacks the apparent contradiction: j(5) excludes subcontractor work during ongoing operations, but l explicitly carves subcontractors back in once the work is completed. [ 08:10 ] - When a "subcontractor" might really be an employee: the hosts run through the classic independent-contractor factors - control over the work, method of payment, who furnishes materials/tools, control of the premises, and the right to discharge. [ 10:00 ] - Brennan cites Mosser Construction, Inc. v. Travelers Indemnity Co. (2011, Ohio), where a court had to decide whether a supplier furnishing wastewater-treatment aggregate counted as a subcontractor. [ 12:21 ] - The hosts note two courts could look at identical policy language and the same facts and reach opposite conclusions - "a mystery wrapped in a conundrum." [ 16:02 ] - A recap of the key takeaways on when a supplier can be treated as a subcontractor under the Your Work exclusion. Your PLRB Resources Coverage Question: Is an Insured's Subcontractor's Faulty Workmanship an "Occurrence" in Iowa? - https://members.plrb.org/documents/in-iowa-is-an-insureds-subcontractors-faulty-workmanship-an-occurrence-bed-2026211 Coverage Question: Is There Coverage Under the CGL Policy for Defective Floor Installation Work? - https://members.plrb.org/documents/is-there-coverage-under-the-cgl-policy-for-the-alleged-damages-involving-the-defective-floor-installation-work-2023-08-31 Case Law: Mosser Construction, Inc. v. Travelers Indemnity Co. (2011) - https://members.plrb.org/documents/mosser-construction-inc-v-travelers-indem-co-2011 Employees of member companies also have access to a searchable legal database, hundreds of hours of video trainings, building code materials, weather data, and even the ability to have your coverage questions answered by our team of attorneys (https://www.plrb.org/ask-plrb/) at no additional charge to you or your company. Subscribe to this Podcast Your Podcast App - Please subscribe and rate us on your favorite podcast app YouTube - Please like and subscribe at @plrb LinkedIN - Please follow at "Property and Liability Resource Bureau" Send us your Scenario! Please reach out to us at 630-509-8704 with your scenario! This could be your "adjuster story" sharing a situation from your claims experience, or a burning question you would like the team to answer. In any case, please omit any personal information as we will anonymize your story before we share. Just reach out to scenario@plrb.org (mailto:scenario@plrb.org). Legal Information The views and opinions expressed in this resource are those of the individual speaker and not necessarily those of the Property & Liability Resource Bureau (PLRB), its membership, or any organization with which the presenter is employed or affiliated. The information, ideas, and opinions are presented as information only and not as legal advice or offers of representation. Individual policy language and state laws vary, and listeners should rely on guidance from their companies and counsel as appropriate. Music: "Piece of Future" by Keyframe_Audio. Pixabay. Pixabay License. Font: Metropolis by Chris Simpson. SIL OFL 1.1. Icons: FontAwesome (SIL OFL 1.1) and Noun Project (royalty-free licenses purchased via subscription). Sound Effects: Pixabay (Pixabay License) and Freesound.org (CC0).

2. 

   23 Oct 2026

   Oops! Is "Your Work" Considered "Complete" If You Get Fired?

   A contractor hired to build a detached garage was fired after completing only the framing and roof sheathing, and the homeowner immediately brought in a second contractor to finish the job. Weeks later, after the replacement contractor had resumed work, rain got in through improperly installed flashing the first contractor had put up, damaging the framing and newly installed insulation. The original contractor argued the claim fell within the Products-Completed Operations Hazard because his operations had already ended by the time the damage occurred. Notable Timestamps [ 01:00 ] - A contractor hired to build a detached garage is fired after only finishing the framing and roof sheathing. A second contractor finishes the job, and later water damage traces back to flashing the first contractor installed. [ 03:45 ] - The team explores the policy's definition of "your work" under the Products-Completed Operations Hazard to work through whether the fired contractor's operations had actually ended. [ 04:54 ] - The three ways work can be deemed completed under the definition: (a) all contracted work finished, (b) all work at the job site finished, or (c) the work put to its intended use by someone other than another contractor or subcontractor. [ 05:40 ] - Applying part (a), the team debates whether the fired contractor's work could be considered "completed" simply because he was removed from the job before finishing. [ 12:34 ] - Part (c), intended use, may be the stronger fit here, since the replacement contractor built on top of the original work. [ 14:19 ] - The original contractor's work wasn't "put to its intended use" until someone else finished it. Getting fired isn't the same as abandoning a job. [ 19:23 ] - The relevant exclusions treat subcontractors differently. [ 22:51 ] - The team recaps the three key takeaways on when a contractor's work counts as "completed." Your PLRB Resources Case Law: Clarendon America Ins. Co. v. General Security Indemnity Co. of Arizona (2011) - https://members.plrb.org/documents/clarendon-america-ins-co-v-general-security-indem-co-of-arizona-2011 Policy Annotation: Your Work Defined (GL112) - https://members.plrb.org/documents/gl112-your-work-defined Policy Annotation: Your Work Exclusion (GL52) - https://members.plrb.org/documents/gl52-your-work-exclusion Employees of member companies also have access to a searchable legal database, hundreds of hours of video trainings, building code materials, weather data, and even the ability to have your coverage questions answered by our team of attorneys (https://www.plrb.org/ask-plrb/) at no additional charge to you or your company. Subscribe to this Podcast Your Podcast App - Please subscribe and rate us on your favorite podcast app YouTube - Please like and subscribe at @plrb LinkedIN - Please follow at "Property and Liability Resource Bureau" Send us your Scenario! Please reach out to us at 630-509-8704 with your scenario! This could be your "adjuster story" sharing a situation from your claims experience, or a burning question you would like the team to answer. In any case, please omit any personal information as we will anonymize your story before we share. Just reach out to scenario@plrb.org (mailto:scenario@plrb.org). Legal Information The views and opinions expressed in this resource are those of the individual speaker and not necessarily those of the Property & Liability Resource Bureau (PLRB), its membership, or any organization with which the presenter is employed or affiliated. The information, ideas, and opinions are presented as information only and not as legal advice or offers of representation. Individual policy language and state laws vary, and listeners should rely on guidance from their companies and counsel as appropriate. Music: "Piece of Future" by Keyframe_Audio. Pixabay. Pixabay License. Font: Metropolis by Chris Simpson. SIL OFL 1.1. Icons: FontAwesome (SIL OFL 1.1) and Noun Project (royalty-free licenses purchased via subscription). Sound Effects: Pixabay (Pixabay License) and Freesound.org (CC0).

3. 

   16 Oct 2026

   [REPLAY] The Stairs Made Me Trip and Fall!

   We're taking a break this week after our first-ever Knowledge Exchange. This collaborative learning event took place at PLRB headquarters and featured building codes topics, so this week we'll share a classic episode from the PLRB Building Codes team. Surveillance video shows a woman wearing a salon cape exiting through the front door of a hair salon. She spends a few moments in front of the salon examining her hair in a large handheld mirror. On reentry, she stumbles on the second and falls. Notable Timestamps [ 00:32 ] - This is not her first time at the salon, and not her first time through the door that day. [ 01:16 ] - Tripping and falling is a common experience. [ 02:45 ] - The team watch & react to the video (only available for staff). [ 04:08 ] - Ruth details the layout of the step. [ 05:03 ] - The riser heights are within an acceptable range. [ 05:40 ] - The tread depth is likely compliant, even if they are longer than usual. [ 06:07 ] - The riser heights are not uniform, which may present a code issue. [ 06:45 ] - In this case the 2018 IBC applied, and handrails are required on both sides. No handrails were present here. [ 07:17 ] - The term "Legacy Code Exceptions" is typically preferred to describe when a code does not apply because the structure was built prior to the code's establishment. [ 08:30 ] - A "triggering event" such as remodeling or occupancy change can mean that a legacy code exception would not apply. It also may not apply if something else, e.g. deterioration, made the area unsafe. [ 09:18 ] - In some cases, an exception to a building code may be made if the structure of the building does not permit the code requirement, e.g. handrails. [ 10:22 ] -  In some states, if the steps were not up to code, the salon is negligent automatically or "negligent per se." In other states, evidence of code violation means there is a presumption of neglience; finally, other states merely find a code violation to be evidence of negligence. [ 11:30 ] - Even in "negligence per se" states, establishing that the negligence existed is not the same as demonstrating that the negligence caused the injury as opposed to an intervening factor, e.g. the insured's behavior. [ 12:33 ] - Ruth provides a recap of the scenario and the points above. Your PLRB Resources Address Report: Find a code adoption for insured's address with link to code book - https://www.plrb.org/building-codes/building-component/ Commercial Stairs Diagram: Interactive diagram with excerpts from code for each of the main components of stairs - https://www.plrb.org/building-codes/building-component/ Legal Duty Created by Building Codes: State-by-state analysis of case law and defenses - was the insured negligent based on failure to comply with building codes? - https://www.plrb.org/documents/overview-of-duty-created-by-building-codes/ Ask a Code Question - https://www.plrb.org/building-codes/ask-plrb-building-code-question/ Employees of member companies also have access to a searchable legal database, hundreds of hours of video trainings, building code materials, weather data, and even the ability to have your coverage questions answered by our team of attorneys (https://www.plrb.org/ask-plrb/) at no additional charge to you or your company. Subscribe to this Podcast Your Podcast App - Please subscribe and rate us on your favorite podcast app YouTube - Please like and subscribe at @plrb LinkedIN - Please follow at "Property and Liability Resource Bureau" Send us your Scenario! Please reach out to us with your scenario! This could be your "adjuster story" sharing a situation from your claims experience, or a burning question you would like the team to answer. In any case, please omit any personal information as we will anonymize your story before we share. Just reach out to scenario@plrb.org. Legal Information The views and opinions expressed in this resource are those of the individual speaker and not necessarily those of the Property & Liability Resource Bureau (PLRB), its membership, or any organization with which the presenter is employed or affiliated. The information, ideas, and opinions are presented as information only and not as legal advice or offers of representation. Individual policy language and state laws vary, and listeners should rely on guidance from their companies and counsel as appropriate. Music: "Piece of Future" by Keyframe_Audio. Pixabay. Pixabay License. Font: Metropolis by Chris Simpson. SIL OFL 1.1. Icons: FontAwesome (SIL OFL 1.1) and Noun Project (royalty-free licenses purchased via subscription). Sound Effects: Pixabay (Pixabay License) and Freesound.org (CC0).

Who has been a guest on What's the Scenario? with PLRB

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Steven J Badger
• Jeff
• Peggy Saldana
• John Bachmann
• Dr Shelton

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.8 / 5

6 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 65 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

100

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

76

Contact What's the Scenario? with PLRB

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.