Personal injury could be any injury to the body, emotions, mind or reputation as opposed to loss of property. Making a personal injury case in a work premise, one must establish beyond any reasonable doubt, negligence, ignorance and carelessness from the responsible authorities or the accused.
Most recently the public and viewers of the 94th Academy Awards were treated to a display of violence and assault meted on comedian, Chris Rock who was addressing the attendees while making jokes to the detriment of actor, Will Smith’s wife. As expected, discussions on the same have dominated the inter-webs and top on the list is to sue or not to sue. Now we are going to dig deeper and see the options the funny man has…
- Chris could sue Mr. Smith for assault, public humiliation and embarrassment while seeking compensation from Will who not only slapped him but also verbally abused him. It could be argued that this hurt his career and confidence that has taken years of experience, training and resources to build. A figure to compensate and settle would then be sought instead of going to trial.
- Chris could also sue the Academy for failing to protect him as a performer on stage. To create a good case, his attorneys may establish several lose ends especially when handling a public personality on a big stage/platform like the Oscars’ such loopholes maybe sought in the contracts while also digging through past Academy events.
- Finally, the Academy could sue Will Smith in civil court, they would have to prove in court that he did damage to their production and diminished their product by his behavior. Arguments may be made that due to his actions invites in subsequent award ceremonies may shun the Oscars’ due to fear of their security and safety. They could also argue that their brand value and standing is now associated with violence, profanity and aggression due to his actions.
Conclusion
Well, to sue or not to sue, the ball squarely lies in Chris’ and the Academy’s pockets, however, they are advised to be swift as taking in statements from witnesses and proving their case gets harder with time.
Have you been a victim of accidents at your workplace or is your landlord negligent and dismissive with safety measures, reach out to us smusyimi@solomonthelawyer.com or call 713-541-4444 we listen and defend!
