A Louisiana couple got stuck in Israel during Hamas attacks. Now they're suing the travel insurer.

Oct. 10—An Acadia Parish couple is suing travel insurers that refused to reimburse them for delays, missed flights and a $15,000 armored car rental fee they incurred escaping Israel in the days following the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks that left more than 1,200 men, women and children dead.

Pierre and Bertha Besse of Rayne, who are both in their 70s and are Christian educators, filed the lawsuit Wednesday in 15th Judicial District Court in Lafayette.

The couple, according to the lawsuit, booked a trip through Travel Machine of Lafayette and Travel Machine Louisiana of Breaux Bridge. The trip, booked for Sept. 26 through Oct. 9, 2023, was an educational, fact-finding trip that coincided with the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles.

Travel Machine sold the Besses an American International Group Travel Guard insurance policy that took effect June 7, 2023, and was supposed to cover trip interruption or delay, personal security assistance, medical assistance and terrorist incidents, the lawsuit states.

The AIG policy, attorney Lance Beal wrote, defined terrorist incident as an "act of violence that is deemed terrorism by the U.S. Department of State." The U.S. Department of State has called the attacks terrorism.

The couple flew on Sept. 26, 2023, from Houston to Istanbul, Turkey, then caught another flight to Tel Aviv, Israel, where they were on Oct. 7, 2023, during the Hamas attacks on southern Israel. According to the lawsuit, they experienced missiles flying overhead and some rockets landed a few miles from their location.

The Besses were scheduled to leave for home on Oct. 9, 2023. Their flight from Israel to Turkey was canceled. They rebooked for Oct. 10 and that flight also was canceled as was the connecting flight to Houston.

The American Embassy advised the couple that evacuations of American citizens had not yet begun, Beal wrote.

AIG Travel Guard instructed Travel Machine to facilitate evacuation of the Besses, specifically instructing the couple to use an armored car service arranged by Travel Guard to transport them to Jordan, the lawsuit states. Travel Machine, Beal wrote, booked the couple on flights Oct. 12 per AIG Travel Guard's instructions.

On Oct. 10, 2023, Travel Guard via Travel Machine told the Besses to "fly out of Amman as soon as possible" and quoted them $4,500 for armored car service to Amman, Jordan, Beal wrote. On Oct. 11, about an hour before the armored car was to arrive, AIG Travel Guard told the couple in a phone call, the lawsuit states, that the cost for the car now would be $15,000.

The couple felt they had no option under the life-threatening circumstances, Beal wrote, and paid $14,600 for the car service, which dropped them off at the border.

Upon their return to the United States, Travel Machine filed a claim with AIG Travel Guard on behalf of the Besses for their trip interruption due to a terrorist incident. AIG, Beal wrote, said they would only deal with the Besses directly.

The couple filed an initial claim with AIG Travel Guard around Dec. 6, 2023. The company denied the claim.

Beal, in the lawsuit, said the couple "endured significant mental and physical pain and suffering during the ordeal, and "suffered financial, emotional and mental hardship" because of the company's breach of contract.

Made defendants in the lawsuit are AIG, Travel Guard Group, AIG Claims, National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh, Travel Machine and Travel Machine Louisiana.

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