Kanye West’s Touring Company Files $10 Million Lawsuit Over Canceled Concerts

Suit claims that insurance company is stalling on claim over abandoned tour following rapper’s breakdown last year

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Kanye West’s touring company says insurance company Lloyd’s of London is holding out on a claim over concerts canceled last year due to the rapper’s breakdown, and the company wants in the neighborhood of $10 million to make it right.

In a lawsuit filed in federal court in California on Tuesday, Very Good Touring says that over eight months after filing the claim, Lloyd’s still hasn’t acted on it, and has suggested that it might deny the claim “on the unsupportable contention that use of marijuana by Kanye caused the medical condition.”

“Performing artists who pay handsomely to insurance companies within the Lloyd’s of London marketplace to obtain show tour ‘non-appearance or cancellation’ insurance, should take note of the lesson to be learned from this lawsuit: Lloyd’s companies enjoy collecting bounteous premiums; they don’t enjoy paying claims, no matter how legitimate,” the lawsuit reads. “Their business model thrives on conducting unending ‘investigations,’ of bona fide coverage requests, stalling interminably, running up their insured’s costs, and avoiding coverage decisions based on flimsy excuses.”

Very Good Touring says that the remainder of the Saint Pablo Tour was canceled after West’s Nov. 19 concert in Sacramento was cut short because “his behavior was strained, confused and erratic.”

“As a result of this serious, debilitating medical condition, Kanye was hospitalized at UCLA Neuropsychiatric Hospital Center” on Nov. 21, the lawsuit says.

According to the suit, after “numerous negotiations, failed mediations and countless requests that Plaintiff forbear from filing suit,” the defendants again requested that Very Good not file on July 24, promising a coverage decision on July 27.

“That promise proved as hollow as their other utterances, and the insurers reneged on yet another commitment.”

Moreover, the suit alleges, in an effort to intimidate Very Good, the insurers and/or their agents caused confidential information about West to be disseminated to news outlets, which the suit says “represents an egregious violation of written non-disclosure agreements” that the insurers signed.

Alleging breach of contract, Very Good Touring says it’s owed $9,860,843.51 from the insurers, but the damages it has suffered exceed that amount.

A representative of Lloyd’s told TheWrap that the company is unable to comment on matters in litigation.

Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.

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