Sompo says not obligated to cover in Kobe Bryant crash

A Sompo International Holdings Ltd. unit has filed suit seeking a declaration it is not obligated to indemnify the helicopter company that allegedly arranged the flight in which basketball star Kobe Bryant and his daughter were killed last year.

Nine people, including Mr. Bryant, his daughter Gianna, the pilot and six others, were killed on Jan. 26, 2020, when their Sikorsky helicopter crashed en route from John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, California, to Camarillo Airport in Camarillo, California.

Santa Ana, California-based OC Helicopters, which allegedly had provided flight operations for Mr. Bryant, his family and his businesses, was named as a defendant in four lawsuits filed by Mr. Bryant’s widow and others in the crash, according to the lawsuit, Endurance Assurance Corp. vs. OC Helicopters LLC, which was filed in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana last week.

Sompo unit Endurance Assurance, which provided a policy with a $10 million limit for bodily injury and property damage to OC Helicopters, has defended the company subject to a reservation for rights, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit says Endurance is not obligated to provide insurance coverage to the company under the non-owned aircraft liability endorsement in its policy which excludes “rotowing” aircraft, which would include the Sikorsky helicopter.

It is seeking a declaration from the court that the claims asserted against OC Helicopters do not fall within the scope of its coverage, that Endurance does not have a duty to defend or indemnify the company, and reimbursement of defense costs.

OC Helicopters’ attorney said she is not in a position to comment on the litigation.

A statement that OC Helicopters issued in September in response to being named as defendant in the lawsuits said, “We have acted as travel agent and concierge for the Bryant family for many years…While we at OCH continue to grieve for this unimaginable loss, we adamantly deny any responsibility for the accident.”

The statement also said it “never at any time had operational control” of the helicopter, and “ultimate flight decision making authority and responsibility was that of the pilot, Ara Zobayan, alone.”