Negligent hiring. In a recent case the Supreme Court of Texas has ruled that an employer's alleged negligent hiring of an employee, which resulted in the assault of a third party, constitutes an "occurrence" under a commercial liability insurance policy. The court ruled that even though the misconduct was directly caused by the employee, the insurance company was still required to defend the employer in the subsequent lawsuit. (King v. Dallas Fire Insurance Company, Supreme Court of Texas, No. 00-1152, 2002)