'America's Got Talent' Slapped with Wrongful Death Lawsuit
“America’s Got Talent” has become a highly anticipated show that follows performers and musicians as they all vie for the ultimate prize of one million dollars.
Similar to “American Idol” in some ways, AGT sports a panel of celebrity judges who assess the parade of acts that trot out before them, choosing who will pass to the next round and who will be sent home.
The show, originally created by the infamous Simon Cowell, has completed 12 seasons and is about to begin its 13th.
The original judges included Brandy Norwood, Piers Morgan, and David Hasselhoff, but through the years the panel has evolved into the four it boasts today: Mel B, Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum and Howie Mandel.
If you’re a fan of reality TV, you’ve probably come across the show and have followed at least part of it. The interesting performances, cringey flops, and celebrity input make it a fast-paced, exciting show.
But all is not well as the show launches into its 13th season, scheduled to release on May 29 of this year.
After one particular taping, a lawsuit has been filed against the production team for the show, which includes FremantleMedia, NBCUniversal, and the city of Pasadena.
While the show was being taped at the Pasadena Convention Center on March 26, 2017, there were other events going on at the same location.
One of those events was a science and engineering fair. Floyd and Maureen Allen, a husband and wife team, were volunteering at the event — or trying to.
Maureen Allen, whose condition required her to use a wheelchair, was trying to find a handicap-accessible way to get into the building, but to no avail.
Allegedly trailers and equipment were blocking all but one ramp that she could use to enter the building. The one access point that was not completely blocked had a thick power cord running across it.
“Maureen Allen … attempted to maneuver her motorized wheelchair over the power cord protector, the front wheel of her scooter got caught and turned suddenly, causing the scooter to flip on to its side,” the complaint read.
“Maureen Allen was violently thrown off her scooter onto the hard pavement, and she sustained severe injuries, including injuries to her head and arms, as well as a fractured hip.”
But those initial injuries were just the beginning. The claim also stated that on “March 27, 2017, as a result of the injuries she sustained … Maureen Allen developed a blood clot and suffered a severe stroke.”
Just three days later, she had surgery on her hip, which had been broken in the fall. By April, Maureen “had been forced to undergo no less than 8 different procedures as a result of the injuries sustained … including an entire hip replacement.”
Despite all of the care she received, her health did not improve. By June 23 she was put on life support, and she passed away on the 25.
The complaint stated that there was no other way for Maureen to access the building, and quickly connected the dots to show that, ultimately, AGT was at fault for this loss:
“Maureen Allen died on June 25, 2017 as a result of severe and debilitating injuries she sustained after falling from and out of her wheelchair on March 26, 2017 while attempting to maneuver her wheelchair over an obstruction that impeded access to the one handicap access ramp to the Pasadena Civic Auditorium that was not completely rendered inaccessible by the trailers and equipment being used by the televisions show America’s Got Talent, which was being filmed at the facility.”
So far, there has been no comment from the defendants.
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