Copperfield's Insurance Woes

By Stephen M. Silverman

08/04/1998 at 12:00 AM EDT

Magician David Copperfield, 43, filed a lawsuit against Fireman's Fund Insurance in Las Vegas on Friday, claiming the company improperly denied his claim to remove $4 million worth of show equipment out of Russia last December. At issue are some missing documents that would have made the removal possible. The magician received threats that his property would be destroyed if not retrieved, say his legal documents. He claims, too, that he hired an ex-KGB officer to facilitate the maneuver, which he said cost him slightly more than $500,000. In April, Fireman's Fund denied payment to Copperfield, saying that the magician's policy did not cover losses caused by "seizure or destruction of property by orders of governmental authority."