Stephen Fry is suing two companies that organised a tech conference at which he was injured in 2023 after falling off a stage, according to High Court documents. The actor and presenter broke his hip, right leg, pelvis and ribs while delivering a talk on artificial intelligence at the CogX festival at the O2 Arena on 14 September 2023.
Fry is bringing a claim for damages against CogX Festival Ltd and Blonstein Events, alleging negligence and breach of statutory duty. The court document 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.” The claim seeks up to £100,000 in damages for personal injuries and consequential losses, including an award for pain, suffering and loss of amenity exceeding £1,000, plus interest and costs.
A spokesperson for CogX Festival Ltd said: “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.” Blonstein Events has not yet been formally served with the claim, according to company director Sara Blonstein. In a statement reported by the BBC, the company 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.”
Speaking on BBC Radio 2 in 2023, Fry described the incident: “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 added that he was grateful not to have injured his spine or skull, and praised the NHS for his treatment at Queen Elizabeth Hospital. “They were brilliant to me,” he said.
