US rapper Kanye West has “amicably resolved” a $10m (£7.1m) breach of contract lawsuit with insurer Lloyd’s of London over the cancellation of a scheduled blockbuster concert series in 2016.
West, 40, husband of social media star Kim Kardashian, was forced to abandon the 21-date Saint Pablo tour after being taken ill and receiving treatment at the UCLA neuropsychiatric centre in Los Angeles, California.
Lloyd’s, with whom the artist claimed to have spent “hundreds of thousands of dollars” on insurance, subsequently refused to pay out, alleging that the hip-hop icon’s marijuana use was the root cause of the medical condition he said had incapacitated him, prompting West to sue the company.
Lloyd’s duly counter-sued, citing the drink and drugs clause in his contract as justification for non-payment and arguing that cannabis consumption was to blame for the “strained, confused and erratic” behaviour West had displayed at a gig in Sacramento, California.
West surprised fans at the time by expressing his support for divisive US President Donald Trump and making inflammatory statements about fellow superstars Jay-Z and Beyonce.
Lawyer Howard King – representing West’s Very Good Touring company – and Lloyd’s attorney Paul Schrieffer have since placed a joint request with the California federal court hearing the case that it be dropped.
Judge Charles Eick acquiesced and dismissed the suit on Wednesday, ordering both sides to pay their own fees and costs.
Additional reporting by wires
