Rolling Stones settle $12.7M insurance claim over shows canceled due to Jagger's girlfriend's death
Mick Jagger and girlfriend L’Wren Scott in 2008. Everett Collection / Shutterstock.com
Updated: A legal battle between the Rolling Stones and insurance underwriters, concerning the band’s $12.7 million claim over the cancellation of seven Rolling Stones performances earlier this year, has been settled on undisclosed terms.
However, band members are unhappy because private information about their families and health were made public in court documents, the Guardian and Independent report. The litigation sought information about the mental health of Mick Jagger’s longtime girlfriend, L’Wren Scott, who committed suicide earlier this year, and a court filing said he had suffered from a stress disorder following her death.
“We are deeply upset that confidential medical and other private information about members of the band and their immediate family and loved ones has entered the public domain as a result of a US court filing initiated by insurers four weeks ago,” said a spokesman for Jagger. ““This was done without the knowledge of the band or reference to their legal representatives.”
Originally sued by the famed rock band in London’s High Court of Justice, Queen’s Bench Division, the underwriters asked for help from federal courts in New York and Utah as they sought to obtain evidence supporting their denial of coverage, according to the New York Daily News and the Salt Lake Tribune.
Although listed on the policy among family members whose deaths might result in cancellations of the band’s shows, L’Wren Scott “intended to, and did, commit suicide, and her death was therefore not ‘sudden and unforeseen,’ ” the underwriters said in their answer to the suit. They also questioned whether Scott, a fashion designer and former model, had pre-existing mental health issues that might invalidate the policy.
Jagger asserted he was diagnosed with “acute traumatic stress disorder” after Scott’s death and was told by his doctor to take at least 30 days off.
The fact that he is 71 likely helped his claim, visiting New York University law professor Zev Eigen told the Daily News on Monday, before the settlement became public. “The insurance contract is for his performance, not hers. And given his advanced age, there’s a greater range of things that reasonably could affect his stamina, stress level and ability to perform. The bar is much lower than it would be for a 21-year-old.”
See also:
ABAJournal.com: “Rolling Stones Rockers Are Older, on Average, than Justices of the Supreme Court”
The Guardian: “L’Wren Scott: the mysterious suicide of Mick Jagger’s girlfriend”
Insurance Journal (2009): “Lloyd’s Finds Insurance Increasingly Important for Rock ‘n’ Roll Band Tours”
Updated on Nov. 14 to include subsequent news coverage about settlement of the dispute.
