Shaken bake: Sexual harassment suit against bakery owner a recipe for disaster for broker

William Brown and his business partner, Claudine Grier, started a cupcake business called Big Man Bakes in 2009. Both had business experience and Grier had a master’s degree in business administration from Columbia University.

In June 2009, Grier contacted insurance brokerage USI to obtain insurance for Big Man Bakes. She was referred to Hoskins, a broker in USI’s small accounts department in charge of accounts generating less than $5,000 in revenue per year. Hoskins learned Grier sought basic insurance coverage for the business, which rented a small retail space and commercial kitchen and had no employees. Grier requested a quote for business property and liability coverage and informed Hoskins she wanted to keep the business’s insurance costs low while still satisfying the landlord’s and statutory insurance requirements.