U.S. rapper Kanye West’s touring company, Very Good Touring, Inc., is reportedly suing the specialist Lloyd’s of London insurance and reinsurance marketplace for $10 million (roughly £7.6 million) over his cancelled tour last November after he was admitted to hospital, according to numerous industry reports.
Reports claim the touring company is suing the Lloyd’s marketplace over the cancellation of the last 21 dates of the rapper’s Saint Pablo Tour in 2016, after he was admitted to a neuropsychiatric centre at UCLA in Los Angeles, U.S., reportedly caused by marijuana use.
According to legal papers that were first seen by the Hollywood Reporter, West spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on insurance with Lloyd’s of London to cover any cancellation, but is yet to receive any payments.
The BBC reports that Very Good Touring has suggested Lloyd’s won’t pay because of a medical condition that was caused by marijuana, although lawyer Howard King, who represents West’s touring company, denied the allegations.
The court papers reportedly state that Lloyd’s brought in a lawyer to manage the claim, and the marketplace has so far declined to comment on the matter.
According to reports, King wrote; “Immediately turning to legal counsel made it clear that Defendants’ goal was to hunt for any ostensible excuse, no matter how fanciful, to deny coverage or to manoeuvre themselves into a position of trying to negotiate a discount on the loss payment.
“The artists think they’re buying peace of mind. The insurers know they’re just selling a ticket to the courthouse.
“The stalling is emblematic of a broader modus operandi of the insurers of never-ending post-claim underwriting where the insurers hunt for some contrived excuse not to pay.”
As the dispute unfolds the terms and conditions of the insurance contract will be vital in determining the outcome, and whether cancellation due to a medical condition is covered in the contract.
