Media giant Viacom has millions after airing the body of T.I.’s friend .
It’s recently been revealed that media giant Viacom had to spend millions of dollars after the MTV reality series, T.I’s Road to Redemption, showed the deceased body during its premiere episode, titled “You Are Responsible for Your Own Actions.”
The series focused on T.I. (Clifford Joseph Harris Jr.) as he awaited sentencing on weapons possession and attempted to counsel youth against a life of crime. The episode in question took T.I. to a funeral home, where he saw the body of Joseph Williams, whom the mortician said was a “hustler.” He also added that his parents were unaware how he died.
Williams’ family sued.
The claims were invasion of privacy, negligent misrepresentations about the decedent, violation of likeness (even though Williams’ face was reportedly shown out of focus) and interference with the family’s contract with the funeral home. (The funeral home reportedly paid to have the body cremated.)
The story would have ended there if it wasn’t for Viacom’s new lawsuit against AXIS Insurance. This is where it gets somewhat confusing.
In the new lawsuit, it’s revealed that after a mediation on June 29, Viacom came into an opportunity to settle the case “for an amount that – even after deducting from the $5 million policy limit the extensive defense costs incurred during more than three years of litigation – was within the $5 million policy limit of the Insurance Policy.”
However, Viacom doesn’t believe it’s financially responsible for what happened and has taken the AXIS Insurance Company to court to get the firm to reimburse its legal costs and reach a settlement.
And … AXIS only believes it’s on the hook for up to $3 million, according to the media company’s complaint. Although the insurance policy had a total limit of $5 million, it also had a limitation of $3 million for “Each Loss.” AXIS appears to be arguing that the broadcast of the dead man’s body is a single occurrence while Viacom states “the Decedent’s Family alleged numerous separate acts, and thus numerous ‘Occurrences,’ that caused distinct losses.”
Follow?? ….. In the end I only know there’s a lawsuit demanding between $3-$5million.
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