A release of liability form is a powerful tool that can protect you from legal claims and damages. However, it’s only enforceable when it’s well-written and meets specific requirements.
In this article, we’ll teach you how to write release of liability forms!
What is a Release of Liability Form?
A release of liability form is a waiver agreement in which one party (the Releasor) releases another party (the Releasee) from any legal liability in the event that the activity covered in the waiver results in injury or damages to the Releasor. It is a written acknowledgment (and acceptance) of risk and a voluntary relinquishing of the legal right to levy claims against the Releasee.
6 Types of Release of Liability Forms
Release of liability forms are employed in a variety of use cases, but there are six primary types of release of liability forms that you should be familiar with:
- General release. General release waivers cover any and all civil claims against the other party in the agreement.
- Activity waiver. These waivers relieve the Releasee from any potential liability if the Releasor suffers an injury or damages during the activity they wish to participate in.
- Personal injury. Personal injury waivers are customized to prevent all civil claims (both known and unknown) from an incident that injured the Releasor.
- Car accident. Motor vehicle accident release of liability forms relinquish the right of the Releasor to levy all known and unknown claims resulting from a vehicular accident involving the Releasee.
- Property damage. Damage to personal property releases ensure that the Releasor will not be able to sue the Releasee for any damage to their property.
- Debt settlement. Debt settlement forms are agreements where the Releasor (often a creditor) accepts a repayment lower than what they were owed in exchange for settling and not levying future legal claims.
How to Write a Release of Liability Form?
Not sure how to prepare release of liability forms? To write an enforceable release of liability form, you must:
- Ensure clarity. Use plain language, clearly describe the risks, and select a font size of 12 or larger.
- Include key information. Your release of liability form should include the name, address, and contact information of all parties involved.
- Add binding signatures. Whether your release of liability form is printed or electronic, it needs a legally binding signature and date of agreement to be enforceable.
When to Use a Release of Liability Form?
Wondering when and how to use release of liability forms? Well, release of liability forms are most commonly used in situations with potential danger or inherent risk. Business owners often use them to protect against liability and customer claims.
Examples of when release of liability forms may be used:
- Indoor bouldering gyms
- Skydiving
- Bungee jumping
- Escape rooms
- Sports events
- Volunteering activities
How to Get a Release of Liability?
To get a release of liability, you’ll need to provide a waiver to your customers and have them sign it after reading the terms in full. You can distribute these waivers either through paper copies or digital agreements with electronic signatures. Make sure you inform the recipient on how to fill out release of liability forms that are sent electronically.
It’s worth noting that a release of liability waiver is unlikely to be upheld if a minor signed it. In such cases, it’s advisable to have their parent or guardian sign the waiver in their place.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, release of liability forms are beneficial and not too difficult to draft if you follow a few fundamental principles. If you want to speed up the process and create digital waivers in minutes, you can use PandaDoc Waivers.
This free and easy-to-use solution can generate waivers in just a few clicks with legally binding electronic signatures. Click here to get started.
FAQs
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Being released from liability means you are no longer legally liable for any injuries or damages that occur as a result of the covered activity, but this does not absolve liability resulting from gross negligence.
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Release statement forms are documents that express consent to release a party from legal liability.