Actor injured during scene shooting settles his lawsuit against Sony

LOS ANGELES >> A “S.W.A.T.” television series actor injured in 2018 while shooting a scene involving a helicopter on the CBS series has settled his lawsuit against Sony, in which he alleged liability on the production company for not properly evaluating the danger of a stunt he was asked to perform.

Lawyers for Kenny Johnson filed a notice of settlement Wednesday with Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Daniel M. Crowley, who canceled the scheduled March 8 trial date. No terms were divulged.

Johnson, 59, brought the lawsuit in July 2020 against Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc., Sony subsidiary Sony Pictures Television Inc. and Topanga Productions Inc., alleging negligence, ultrahazardous activity and peculiar risk. The two companies argued that neither company was involved in the stunt’s coordination.

In November, Crowley dismissed Topanga Productions as a defendant. The judge said the company exclusively controlled, supervised and directed Johnson’s work and produced all tools he used and that therefore, that part of the plaintiff’s case belonged in the workers’ compensation arena and not in the courts.

However, in addressing the portion of the case against Sony, the judge noted that Johnson’s attorneys offered the declaration of a veteran stunt man who as worked as a coordinator for Sony. The stunt man concluded that Johnson’s stunt was of a high risk and “negligently designed,” and that Sony’s alleged failure to affirmatively evaluate it beforehand resulted in Johnson’s injuries, according to the judge.