Liability insurance is, by definition, a product that providesfinancial protection when things don't turn out as planned. Most ofthe time when this occurs, it's simply a case of bad luck orbecause things simply happen. But there are other instances inwhich liability claims are the result of actions that were soill-conceived or foolhardy that a claim was utterlypredictable.

Eventually such incredulous behavior leads to a lawsuit, whichleads to an insurance claim —which leads to a coverage dispute, which leadsto a reported decision, which leads to the final stage of thisinsurance circle of life: an appearance in my "Coverage forDummies" Hall of Fame.

It's easy to make fun of these cases. But the list — groupedhere by insurance category — actually says a lot about the role ofinsurance in society. In many of the cases, the court is requiredto address whether people can pass off responsibility for knowinglyfoolish conduct under policies designed to prevent "accidents."

Auto cases

In one case, serious bodily injuries were sustained by motorists who drove off the roadafter swerving to avoid hitting a target deer that a group of highschool friends had placed 15 to 30 yards beyond the crest of ahill, at night, in the middle of an unlit two-lane roadway with aspeed limit of 55 mph. Why did they do this? To observe thereactions of motorists suddenly confronted with an obstructiondirectly in front of them. Allstate Ins. Co. v. Campbell(Ohio Ct. App. Nov. 17, 2009).

In another case, a driver injured a person with his automobile,then exited the vehicle and struck the victim three times with agolf club, breaking three ribs — all in response to the victimentering the insured's property to retrieve a baseball accidentallyhit onto the insured's property by the victim's son. FarmersAuto. Ins. Ass'n. v. Danner (Ill. App. Ct. Sept. 3, 2009).

In a third case: In an attempt to annoy his girlfriend, aninsured grabbed the steering while she was driving. When she triedto push him away, she lost control of the car and hit a concretewall. Sunshine State Ins. Co. v. Jones (Fla. Ct. App.2012).

Related: Insuring autonomous vehicles

Homeowners

An insured responded to a property-line dispute by attaching tothe fence at issue life-sized paper targets cut into the shape ofhuman beings that were riddled with bullet holes. And that wasprobably his tamest response. Browning v. American Family Mut.Ins. Co. (10th Cir. Sept. 22, 2010) (applying Coloradolaw).

A court addressed coverage for claims against a real estateagent who showed a house — and that's not all he showed — while itsowners were out of the country. Warning: Hand sanitizer required.Safeco Ins. Co. v. Skar (D. Minn. July 27, 2011).

A mother was out shopping and her daughters were arguing. Then16-year-old Francesca retaliated against her 13-year-old sister,Gabriella, by pushing a lit piece of paper into a vent connectingtheir bedrooms. As a result, the house caught fire and wasextensively damaged. Remy v. Travelers Home & Marine Ins.Co. (N.D. Ill. June 11, 2013).

In a category that always has a lot of contenders — FightsBetween Neighbors — the award goes to Hartford UnderwritersIns. Co. v. Masters (D. Hawaii June 2, 2011). The insuredshined spotlights on a neighbor's property that were of such highintensity that they interfered with the targeted neighbors'sleeping patterns and presented a danger to the Native Hawaiianshearwater birds in the area.

Related: Property damage estimates totaled $51.5 billion in2016

Sports and 'entertainment'

What allegedly not to do at a Little League game: Sit behindhome plate, in the lowest row of the bleachers, and tell thecatcher, who is someone else's son, that he is making too manymistakes. And especially don't do it six or seven times in oneinning. Really don't do it if you need a cane to walk.Baggett v. Allstate Ins. Co. (La. Ct. App. 2010).

What else allegedly not to do at a Little League game, inparticular when you're the league president: Assault a spectator,causing multiple facial fractures, including a broken nose, septumand permanent nerve damage. And double especially don't do it whenthe spectator is a player's grandmother. Nellie Ellison v.Kentucky Farm Bureau Mut. Ins. Co. (Ky. App. Ct. July 9,2010).

Two men, as part of a celebration of the upcoming birth of achild of one of them, held a party — a "diaper shootout" — to whichguests could bring diapers for the new baby and enjoy an afternoonshooting guns. As a grand finale they decided to blow up an oldrefrigerator. Guests stood behind tables 50 meters away from therefrigerator with explosives placed inside. Upon firing at therefrigerator it immediately blew apart and sent shrapnel flyingacross the yard. A piece of shrapnel hit a guest's hand, nearlysevering it. Yikes. This guy is going to be a parent.Blank-Greer v. Tannerite Sports, LLC (N.D. Ohio Apr. 21,2015).

An insured was injured when he used his pickup truck and apulley in an attempt to lift a portable toilet onto a deer stand.Hays v. Georgia Farm Bureau Mut. Ins. Co. (Ga. Ct. App.2012).

A man's eight-year-old son was playing with friends and wantedto get some sparklers out of the car. Dad used his keyless remoteto open the door but did not follow his son to the car — nor checkup on him for the next few hours. It turns out that his son didn'tretrieve just sparklers from the car (as if that would have beenOK) but he took bottle rockets, too. One of the friends lit abottle rocket that hit another in the eye. Auto Club PropertyCasualty Ins. Co. v. B.T. (6th Cir. 2015).