Informa Insurance News 24
ENDURANCE SEEKS TO AVOID LIABILITY IN KOBE BRYANT’S DEATH
Sompo International’s Endurance Assurance unit has filed a lawsuit in a federal court in Los Angeles seeking a declaration that it bears no liability in lawsuits brought by the family of National Basketball Association legend Kobe Bryant in the wake of the January 2020 helicopter crash that killed him, his daughter Gianna and seven others, including pilot Ara Zobayan. Endurance is also looking to avoid liability in three other lawsuits brought by the other victims’ families against OC Helicopters, the operator (but not owner) of the doomed aircraft. Investigators said Zobayan likely became disoriented in dense cloud cover before crashing into a hillside northwest of Los Angeles. In its complaint, Endurance said the aircraft insurance policy it issued to OC Helicopters included a clause that excludes liability for damages involving non-owned rotorwing aircraft like the Sikorsky S76A helicopter that crashed.