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Injured 'Valkyrie' extras threaten to sue Tom Cruise, United Artists
by Hazel | August 26, 2008 at 07:18 pm | 140 views | add comment | 0 recommendations
Plagued by post-production set backs and a release date push back, Tom Cruise's latest pet project 'Valkyrie' has hit another bump in the road with the announcement today that the 12 extras injured on set last year are threatening to launch an $11 million lawsuit against United Artists.
Tom Cruise and his former production partner Paula Wagner have also been sent letters from attorney Ariane Bluttner, who is representing the extras. Wagner resigned from her position with MGM/United Artists earlier this month for unrelated reasons. She had a long standing professional relationship with Tom Cruise having worked on several of the controversial actor's top grossing films.
11 of the 12 injured extras were released from hospital with non-life threatening injuries the same day the accident occurred, but one of the victims remained in hospital for four days for observation.
The accident occurred during what should have been an uneventful scene. No stunt extras were employed because there were no anticipated dangers. The extras were hurt when the side panel of the truck they were riding in flew open as it turned a corner. The resulting injuries ranged from cuts and abrasions to broken bones and suspected internal injuries.
The actors' attorney, Ariane Bluttner, told Germany's Spiegel Online that UA was negligent and that the vehicles were not up to snuff. "The studio knew the trucks were not safe. There had even been an internal memo about the railings."
"A new letter has been sent to Tom Cruise, Paula Wagner and United Artists, in which we set out the facts of the case again and put a figure on the legal demands of our clients...of $11 million," she told Reuters.
Tom Cruise was not on set while the scene in question was filmed but is implicated in the matter because he is also a producer. United Artists insists that it is not responsible for the welfare of the extras, stating that the German studio, Studio Babelsberg, which hired them and ran the set on a day-to-day basis is to blame.
"While United Artists did receive a letter, the extras were not employed by United Artists but by a contractor hired by the German co-producer of Valkyrie, Studio Babelsberg," a rep for the studio said in a statement released Tuesday afternoon.
"It is their lawyers and insurers who must handle this matter under German Law. While United Artists supports and encourages a settlement, we are in fact not responsible for its negotiation. Studio Babelsberg has been an excellent partner throughout the production of the film and we are confident they are doing all they can to handle this matter."
Bluttner insists that if her clients are not compensated for their pain and suffering as requested in the letter they are prepared to launch a lawsuit in American courts seeking further punitive damages. American courts are notorious for awarding large sums in punitive damages, especially against deep-pocket companies like United Artists.
August 26, 2008 at 07:18 pm by Hazel, 140 views, add comment
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