Metallica lose million-dollar lawsuit for canceling concerts during the pandemic – Music

The emblematic metal band asked for more than 3 million dollars (more than 2.7 million euros) from the insurance company Lloyd’s of London, which refused to cover the losses from six canceled performances during the height of COVID-19 in 2020, based on a clause that excluded cases related to “contagious diseases”.

The authors of “…And Justice for All” argued that the cancellation of their concerts in Argentina, Brazil and Chile – part of the Latin American tour in the first half of 2020 – could have been caused by factors other than the virus.

But California’s Second District Court of Appeal Judge Maria Stratton said in a ruling issued Monday that it was “absurd” and “unrealistic” for lockdown measures this year to be for any reason other than the coronavirus pandemic. , which generated victims all over the world.

“There is no doubt that, in March 2020, South American countries suspended visas and then closed their borders due solely to COVID-19 or fear of the disease”, he stressed.

“To paraphrase Taylor Swift,” Stratton said in his private decision, in which he quoted lyrics from the American singer’s “All Too Well”: “‘We were there. We remember it very well’. There were no vaccines against COVID -19 in March 2020, nor medicines for its treatment.”

“The death rate of COVID-19 was unknown, but to give just one example of the potential death rate in March 2020, New York City was using refrigerated trucks as emergency morgues. People were terrified.”

Brazil announced the first deaths from COVID-19 in March 2020, while Argentina implemented isolation measures and closed borders.

The advancement of the pandemic caused the suspension of events, travel and numerous cancellations that severely affected several sectors.

Metallica’s demand, made up of James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo, is one of many legal actions by actors in the entertainment industry seeking compensation for losses during this period.

The case had already been dismissed by a Los Angeles court in December 2022, based on the understanding that the pandemic was what led to the cancellations. But the performers of “Sad But True” appealed.