Kanye West sues insurer for $10 million over canceled tour

Kanye West filed a lawsuit Tuesday against Lloyd’ s for $ 10 million , alleging the insurer is refusing to pay claims stemming from the cancellation of his tour following a reported mental breakdown .

The 40 - year - old rap superstar filed a claim with Lloyd ’s shortly after cutting short the second leg of his “Saint Pablo Tour ” in November and checking himself into a Los Angeles clinic, according to the suit , lodged in Los Angeles federal court.

West says he and his company Very Good Touring Inc . still haven ’ t been paid and that the insurance giant is intentionally stalling.

“Nor have they provided anything approaching a coherent explanation about why they have not paid … 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 , ” the complaint reads.

The “Saint Pablo Tour ” was set to run through December 31 before the last 21 shows were shelved, but West had taken out insurance in case cancellations were needed , the lawsuit states.
“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, ” the suit alleges.

West stunned an audience in California in November last year with a lengthy speech in which he said he did not vote but would have backed then President - elect Donald Trump as he appreciated the businessman ’s outspokenness.

West was soon hospitalized after a series of erratic comments on stage, including alleging that his sometime collaborator Jay Z was sending hitmen to kill him and lashing out at Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg for not paying the rapper ’ s $ 53 million in debts .

The celebrity news website TMZ said West ’s doctor feared he had suffered a mental breakdown.
The rapper ended up meeting Trump in December , marking the artist’ s first appearance since his breakdown , with his celebrity wife Kim Kardashian absent .

West, a rare artist and even rarer African American celebrity to voice support for Trump , said he went to discuss issues of concern to minorities with the populist leader .

AFP