May 18, 2012 6:05AM
A STUNTMAN who was injured working on Broadway?s “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” has had a key legal win.
“Spider-Man” Producers were ordered yesterday to turn over any relevant information to Richard Kobak, who claims he suffered a concussion, whiplash and two holes in his knees while performing as the comic book hero.
Judge Ellen M. Coin of State Supreme Court in Manhattan granted Kobak’s request that 8 Legged Productions, the producers of the $US75 million ($75 million) show, hand over any memos, emails or any other evidence as he weighs pursuing a negligence lawsuit.
A spokesman for the producers did not immediately return a request for comment.
Kobak claims he suffered the leg injuries in 2010 while filling in for another injured stuntman at the most expensive show in Broadway history.
He alleges that the rigging he used for the show’s aerial acrobatics wasn’t recalibrated for him and, as a result, he made 70 hard landings on stage during performances and rehearsals.
He says the hard landings created a 1.4-millimetre hole in his right knee and a 9-millimetre hole in his left knee.
He also alleges that a computer program controlling one of his jumps from a balcony sent him flying into a wall on April 5, 2011.
He says he suffered two herniated discs, whiplash and a concussion.
Kobak’s court papers seek memos, emails or any other evidence about the computer program and the equipment, copies of accident reports prepared by producers and any other relevant papers to “determine if there is a viable claim.”
During the production’s rocky start, several accidents marred performances. One actor, Christopher Tierney, suffered a fractured skull, a fractured shoulder blade, four broken ribs and three broken vertebrae during a fall on Dec. 20, 2010.
The stuntman’s lawsuit is but one piece of unfinished business from the past that still hangs around a production that this week welcomed its 1 millionth audience member. The show has become one of Broadway’s top earners.
In November, fired “Spiderman” director Julie Taymor slapped the producers – led by Michael Cohl and Jeremiah J. Harris – as well as Glen Berger, her former co-book writer, with a federal copyright infringement lawsuit.
Taymor alleges they violated her creative rights and haven’t compensated her for the work she put into the show. In January, the producers filed a counterclaim asserting the copyright claims are baseless.
Article source: www.dailytelegraph.com.au