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The insurance company covering R&B singer Usher has announced that it is not obligated to pay for the celebrity’s lawsuit against three plaintiffs that claim he gave them herpes.
Usher is currently facing three lawsuits that allege that he was positive with the herpes virus. Quantasia Sharpton and two other plaintiffs (who preferred to remain anonymous) claim that Usher had unprotected sex with them and gave them the infection.
According to New York Marine and General Insurance Company’s (NYMG) filing – submitted to the Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday – the firm believes that it is under no obligation to defend Usher in his current lawsuits in Georgia and California, or any other potential lawsuits of a similar nature. The insurer identified a clause in the singer’s policy that excludes coverage for “bodily injury ... arising out of the transmission of any communicable diseases by [Usher].”
NYMG also claimed in its filing that Usher failed to disclose his alleged herpes condition to both his insurer and his partners. The insurer also claims that he had concealed from the company a prior lawsuit in 2012 for $1.1 million that dealt with the same issue.
People Magazine reported that NYMG will continue to defend Usher in the Georgia case until a judge rules in its favor. The company is asking to be reimbursed for any expenses incurred during this period in the meantime.
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