Sir Stephen Fry has sued the organisers of a tech conference after he was injured falling off the stage following his keynote address at the CogX Festival at the O2 Arena in September 2023, according to the BBC.
Fry said he broke his leg, hip, pelvis and ‘a bunch of ribs’ and has now filed a personal injury claim against CogX Festival Ltd and creative agency Blonstein Events Ltd, seeking up to £100,000 damages.
Court documents filed on his behalf said: “The Claimant brings a claim for damages for personal injuries sustained on 14 September 2023 at the O2 Arena, London, whilst attending the CogX Festival where he had been engaged to deliver a talk on Artificial Intelligence.
“After concluding his presentation and whilst exiting the stage backstage area, the Claimant fell approximately two metres from the stage to the concrete floor below.”
“The incident was caused by the negligence and/or breach of statutory duty of the Defendants, its servants or agents, in failing to ensure that the stage and backstage area were safe, adequately lit and properly protected to prevent a fall from height.”
Creative agency, Blonstein Events Ltd, which also worked on the event, is also listed as a defendant on the claim.
In response, a spokesperson for CogX Festival Ltd told the BBC: “We are unable to comment while the legal process is ongoing, but we were all deeply concerned when Stephen had the accident after giving his incredible speech on the Impact of AI, and we continue to send him our best wishes for a full recovery.”
In December 2023, Fry told Claudia Winkleman’s BBC Radio 2 show: “I did my bow after delivering this lecture, turned to go off stage and didn’t realise that I was walking off the part of the stage where there was nothing – just a 6ft drop on to concrete.”
Lawyer, Keith Barret of Fieldfisher, who is representing Fry added: “It’s very unfortunate that court proceedings were necessary, but the Defendants do not accept Sir Stephen’s account of events, and we have had to ask the court to determine who is responsible for his injury and losses.”