Stephen Fry is pursuing legal action against two companies that organized a tech conference where he sustained severe injuries after falling from the stage in 2023, according to High Court documents. The actor and presenter suffered a broken hip, as well as multiple fractures in his right leg, pelvis, and ribs when he attended the CogX festival at the O2 Arena on 14 September 2023 to deliver a talk on artificial intelligence.
Details of the Legal Claim
The court documents reveal that Fry is suing CogX Festival Ltd and Blonstein Events, seeking damages for the injuries he incurred at the event. The claim states: "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."
Fry is claiming damages for personal injuries and consequential losses up to £100,000, which includes compensation for pain, suffering, and loss of amenity exceeding £1,000, along with interest on damages and costs.
Responses from the Defendants
A spokesperson for CogX Festival Ltd commented: "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."
The second company, Blonstein Events, has not yet been formally notified of the claim, according to company director Sara Blonstein. It is standard procedure that when a High Court claim is filed, the claimant typically has four months in England and Wales to formally serve it to the defendants. A statement from Blonstein Events, as reported by the BBC, said: "No court proceedings have been served by Sir Stephen Fry, nor those representing him. If court proceedings are served both we and our insurers are confident that our defence will be successful as we were in no way responsible for this incident."
Fry's Account of the Accident
Speaking about his fall in 2023 to then BBC Radio 2 presenter Claudia Winkleman, Fry recounted: "I did my bow after delivering this lecture, turned to go off stage and didn’t realise that I was walking off a part of the stage where there was nothing. Six-foot drop on to concrete." He expressed gratitude that he did not injure his spine or skull in the fall, saying he "praised my lucky stars."
Fry also thanked the NHS on the radio show, describing the health service as "extraordinary." Sharing his experience at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, he said: "[It’s] not a famous hospital, but doing extraordinary work every day. They were brilliant to me. They are under a huge amount of pressure, but they delivered everything I could have possibly wanted."
