Kanye West's legal battle with Lloyd's of London over insurance money that he believes should've been paid out following the cancellation of his Saint Pablo tour rages on.
Earlier this summer, West and Very Good Touring, Inc. filed a $10 million lawsuit against Lloyd's, with the argument being that the rapper was entitled to the insurance money for mental health reasons. A week later, Lloyd's of London fired back with their own countersuit, alleging that West's substance abuse made the tour's abrupt end entirely within his control. Now, Kanye's legal team have submitted their response which, in short, tries to devalue the claims made by Lloyd's.
As per a legal document obtained by Pitchfork, the rapper's team rejects the notion that West should not be entitled to collect a payout from the insurance providers. "The Counterclaim should be withdrawn or stricken," the response reads. It's worth noting that Kanye’s orginal claim that the company was trying to push an “unsupportable” claim that linked smoking weed his mental breakdown and subsequent cancellation of the tour is solidified by this new batch of documentation. "Nor have they provided anything approaching a coherent explanation about why they have not paid, or any indication if they will ever pay or even make a coverage decision, implying that Kanye’s use of marijuana may provide them with a basis to deny the claim and retain the hundreds of thousands of dollars in insurance premiums paid by Very Good,” detailed the original complaint from Kanye. “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.”
Depending on which way this goes, the larger implications of how the suit plays out could have lasting effects on the music industry as a whole, specifically where tour insurance and promotions companies are concerned. There have been several stories in the news this year about sub-par responses to situations where insurance should be covering either medical costs or damages in some way, but certain organizations have lagged o those duties. If anything, this proves that Kanye, and potentially other artists by association, won't be backing down.
Check out the legal documents below.