Any attorney on the chat? Does Idina have a case?

There was no way she would perform tonight if she was thinking of suing the producers? In fact, I am surprised she is even showing up to the stage...
Are there any attorneys that can discuss the merits of her case? Again, attorneys, not angry fans that are insulted by this post.
Get well Soon I.

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Updated On: 1/9/05 at 02:13 PM

she doesnt have a lawsuit, unless she can sue a broken elevator platform.

Can you PLEASE change the title? Her name is I-D-I-N-A, NOT I-N-D-I-N-A. After all these posts and things, you should be able to get it right.


Sorry, I am in a bad mood right now.

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I highly doubt that Mrs. Menzel would be able to sue the producers over this matter. The producers I'm certain protected themselves with a clause in her contract stating that she could not sue them for accidents that can arise when dealing with the equipment used in the show. There would have to be some extreme negligence demonstrated on the part of the producers in order for her to sue. An automation system failure which is the likely cause of the elevator not being in place would not be considered negligence but rather a risk of the job. But who knows? That's my opinion and the way this case should work. I do wish Mrs. Menzel a speedy recovery.

Thank you Marlothom, I appreciate it.

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Thank You ClarkStallings...I am currently studying law and my goal is to reprensent actors, etc. Your post was very enlightening. I knew assumption of the risk was a factor.

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she wouldn't have a case anyhow.

If she sued, she would never be cast again. No producer would deal with her.


and what the hell is up with the stalkers saying she should sue??

what did THEY neglect? because the thing didn't work?

Precisely. She could definitely use that as an argument. I'm not saying that I agree, but it is definitely a point that she could use in her prosecution. She could probably argue that they failed to test the elevator prior to the performance, resulting in her injury. Attorneys can be awfully crafty; they'd figure something out.

SIDENOTE: I was just wondering: Do you think that there might have been some crew members beneath the stage where Idina fell? Do you think that they would leave a trapdoor and elevator unaccompanied? Like, without a crew member there to supervise it? It seems like with an effect like that, you would want someone there to make sure that your Tony Award-winning star gets down safely.

I've been lurking but I had to post to this thread. As a future attorney with no familiarity with NY law. I personally doubt Idina has a case or that she would sue, as evidenced by her showing up to the performance today. There is probably an accident clause in her contract and the only way that could be overcome would be some kind of willful action and certainly no one wanted Idina to get hurt. The producers are likely to loose money on todays show because Idina did not perform.

Correct. If you'll note my first post, you'll see that this whole hypothetical situation I created was assuming that there was no clause in her contract. The odds that there was no clause are slim to none, but in the unlikely event that a clause was excluded from her contract, a lawsuit could be in order.

in a country that requires that requires guns have a warning label that says, "do not point towards face or head when firing"? oh yeah.

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And this is why I don't want to study civil law.

Assuming there wasn't a release clause, if the trap door mechanism malfunctioned (and it wasn't just that she accidentally landed wrong or something solely in her control), she may have a case but it would most likely be a worker's compensation issue. If she really wanted to stretch it, surely there must be some protocol in these shows requiring a routine daily maintenance check. If the techie failed to notice this error, someone's head may roll, but for the reasons people have said so far, plus the fact that with union protection and worker's comp, Idina's likely to get compensation anyway, I doubt this will go to court.

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Updated On: 1/9/05 at 10:08 PM