Legal Definitions - duty-to-defend clause

A duty-to-defend clause is a provision in liability insurance that obligates the insurer to take over the defense of any lawsuit brought by a third party against the insured on a claim that falls within the policy's coverage. This means that if someone sues the insured for something covered by the insurance policy, the insurance company will provide a lawyer and pay for the legal defense.

For example, if a person has liability insurance for their car and gets into an accident, injuring someone else, the insurance company will provide a lawyer to defend the insured if the injured person sues them for damages.