Stephen Fry Sues CogX Festival Organisers Over 2023 Stage Fall Injuries

Stephen Fry is suing two companies that organised a tech conference where he was injured in 2023 after falling off the stage, high court documents show. The actor and presenter broke his hip and had multiple breaks in his right leg, pelvis and ribs when he attended the CogX festival at the O2 Arena, where he delivered a talk on artificial intelligence on 14 September 2023. Now, court documents show he is suing CogX Festival Ltd and Blonstein Events, bringing a claim for damages due to injuries sustained at the event. “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 document reads. “The claimant claims damages for personal injuries and consequential losses up to £100,000, which includes an award for pain, suffering and loss of amenity exceeding £1,000, together with interest on damages … 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.” 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 normally 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.” Speaking about his fall in 2023 to then BBC Radio 2 presenter Claudia Winkleman, Fry said: “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 said at the time that he “praised my lucky stars” he did not injure his spine or skull in the fall. Fry also thanked the NHS on the radio show, adding that the health service is “extraordinary”. Sharing his experience of being treated at the 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.”