• A family exception is an exception contained in directors and officers’ liability (D&O) policies written for private companies. Family exclusion excludes claims brought by one family member/insured person against another family member/insured person. Its purpose is to prevent claims arising from either conspiracy or strife from being covered. However, to expand coverage, underwriters sometimes agree to change the exclusion so that only claims from members of the same generation are excluded. The effect of this modification would thus be to provide coverage if, for example, a son sues a grandfather or a daughter sues a father. In such cases, it is likely (especially when a member of the younger generation sues) that the younger generation will have no control over the business and may actually file a lawsuit to prevent gross mismanagement of the family business. Thus, when a claim is filed by a member of a different and usually younger generation, the likelihood of collusion or strife is significantly reduced, so insurers sometimes agree to this change.