Bret Michaels Files New Suit Over Tony Awards Incident
By now everyone and their grandmother has seen the YouTube video of Poison frontman Bret Michaels getting smacked in the face with a prop during his performance at the 2009 Tony Awards with the cast of Rock of Ages and that’s exactly why Michaels is suing over the incident … again.
Michaels first filed suit last year after unsuccessfully attempting to reach an amicable settlement claiming that the mishap was responsible for the brain hemorrhage and mild stroke he suffered following the incident. The latest filings assert that even though the show had a delay, they chose to air the gruesome footage in hopes of increasing their ratings and getting a bit of a publicity boost, and hey, let’s face it, it worked.
According to the latest report, the Manhattan federal court filing states, “(CBS officials) could have prevented the footage… from airing via the standard seven-second broadcast delay. The defendants took no such measures – presumably because the incident could lead to greater publicity and ratings for the show.”
The $50 million lawsuit is aimed at the Tony Award bosses and CBS network executives who allegedly have thwarted the first lawsuit by shifting the blame away from themselves and aimed it at the production company of the Rock of Ages show. Michaels’ attorney Alex Weingarten has called it “a desperate act” and accuses them of “trying to point fingers elsewhere.”
He also confirms that Bret has no ill will towards Rock of Ages, saying, “We did not drag Rock of Ages into this, and Bret has nothing but the utmost respect for them, their production and the performers who were on stage and in harm’s way with him that night.”
According to Music-News.com, the video of Bret Michaels accident quickly became one of the Internet’s 10 most viewed videos at the time, with the video clips raking in several million views.
Michaels, back in fighting form, is currently working on a solo album titled ‘Get Your Rock On’ due out later this year.