Metallica sue Lloyd’s over postponed tour losses

Metallica have filed a lawsuit against Lloyd’s of London, claiming that the organisation relied on an ‘unreasonably restrictive interpretation’ of an insurance policy purchased to cover its 2020 South American tour.

The band were due to play six dates across the continent in April 2020 and say that they had acquired a standard cancellation, abandonment and non-appearance insurance policy to cover their losses if any of the tour was postponed or cancelled.

The Covid-19 pandemic initially saw those dates postponed until December 2020, before being postponed again. As yet, no rescheduled dates have been announced.

The suit says Lloyd’s denied the claim for losses based on a communicable disease exclusion, which Metallica dispute

Crucially, the lawsuit, filed last week in the Los Angeles Superior Court, says that Lloyd’s denied the claim for losses based on a communicable disease exclusion, which Metallica dispute, reports CBS Los Angeles.

As with previous lawsuits targeting Lloyd’s, such as those brought by Foo Fighters and Kanye West, it is likely the Metallica suit is targeting a specific Lloyd’s insurer or syndicate rather than the market itself.

Lloyd’s has not commented on the lawsuit, except to point out that it is not an insurance company, but rather oversees and regulates a market of independent insurers.

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