Ashtabula Area City Schools is alleging its insurance provider is refusing to pay claims for repairs to Lakeside High School after its roof collapsed last winter, leaving the district without its high school for nearly a year.

The lawsuit filed Monday alleges Liberty Mutual Insurance Company has blocked reconstruction of the building by refusing to pay for repairs, leaving portions of the building open to the elements and causing further deterioration.

Liberty Mutual Insurance's media relations team told Ideastream Public Media the company does not comment on legal matters.

The district is being represented by Merlin Law Group. The national firm said in a press release that 900 students and 100 staff members are still displaced, and the high school building remains “structurally unsafe

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