Lloyd’s reverses denials, pays Kilauea insurance claims

Big Island residents Philip and Lunel Haysmer are among the homeowners who were first denied insurance coverage by Lloyd’s of London after they lost their homes due to Kilauea’s eruption. The company has since reversed itself.

After a tough year, Big Island residents Philip and Lunel Haysmer cried when they got the news.

The retired couple from California recently learned that Lloyd’s of London had reversed its earlier decision denying their insurance claim for the Leilani Estates home they lost during Kilauea’s eruption earlier this year.

“My wife and I broke into tears,” he said of their reaction.

Lloyd’s initially denied the claims of the Haysmers and dozens of other Puna homeowners who lost their homes and had Lloyd-sponsored policies through Monarch E&S Insurance Services and other companies, according to Jeffrey Foster, a Kona attorney who represents about 20 such homeowners.