Apple TV+ series 'The Morning Show' production company seeks $44m in insurance suit

When you have top-notch stars like Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carell in a show, you want to insure their presence on set. The production vehicle behind The Morning Show has $125 million in cast coverage, plus more for imminent peril to their shooting location. But the Apple+ series is now finding it difficult to get any of that money over COVID-19-related delays to the production of the second season. According to a new suit filed in California federal court, Chubb National Insurance Company won't pay up.

Like most entities involved in the production of motion pictures and television shows, Always Smiling had purchased insurance that promised to protect it against losses from production delays and threats to the well-being of cast members. When Always Smiling turned to Chubb, its insurer, for its promised insurance, it reasonably expected Chubb to cover its losses. But instead of honoring its agreement with Always Smiling, Chubb adopted arbitrary restrictions on the coverage available to Always Smiling and interpreted its insurance policy in a manner to deprive Always Smiling of the financial protection it purchased. Always Smiling is informed and believes, and on that basis alleges, that Chubb adopted these restrictive interpretations as to Always Smiling and many of its other insureds even though its interpretations were contrary to industry custom and practice, the terms of the insurance policies, and the law. Always Smiling is also informed and believes, and on that basis alleges, that Chubb adopted these interpretations to save itself hundreds of millions of dollars that it otherwise would owe Always Smiling and its other insureds for their covered losses.