More Valkyrie Woes, Extras Sue Tom Cruise
Today 3:05 PM PDT by
Gina Serpe
Phil Bray/MGM
Another day, another bout of negative publicity for
Tom Cruise's beseiged
Valkyrie.
A dozen extras who worked on the WWII-era film last summer have filed an $11 million lawsuit against Cruise and his production company, United Artists, over injuries allegedly sustained while filming what should have been a less-than-action-packed sequence in Berlin.
The 12 actors reportedly suffered several broken bones, cuts and bruises during the Aug. 19, 2007, incident, when the side panel of their German Army truck burst open as the vehicle turned a corner.
Cruise was not on set at the time.
As a result of the on-set mishap, 11 extras were taken to a nearby hospital, for injuries that included broken ribs and pulled ligaments, and discharged, while the 12th was kept in the hospital for four days on suspicion of more serious internal injuries.
The actors' attorney, Ariane Bluttner,
told Germany's Spiegel Online that UA was negligent and that the vehicles were not up to snuff.
"The studio knew the trucks were not safe. There had even been an internal memo about the railings."
"A new letter has been sent to Tom Cruise,
Paula Wagner and United Artists, in which we set out the facts of the case again and put a figure on the legal demands of our clients...of $11 million,"
she told Reuters.
Cruise and Wagner had been running United Artists together under the supervision of MGM. Wagner
announced her departure from the company earlier this month.
Meanwhile, United Artists maintains that the responsibility for the extras' welfare lays with the German studio that brought them onboard.
"While United Artists did receive a letter, the extras were not employed by United Artists but by a contractor hired by the German co-producer of
Valkyrie, Studio Babelsberg," a rep for the studio said in a statement released Tuesday afternoon.
"It is their lawyers and insurers who must handle this matter under German Law. While United Artists supports and encourages a settlement, we are in fact not responsible for its negotiation. Studio Babelsberg has been an excellent partner throughout the production of the film and we are confident they are doing all they can to handle this matter."
Bluttner said that if her clients' monetary demands are not met, she will submit their claim to a U.S. court, where punitive damages are often more exorbitant.
As for
Valkyrie, after numerous production fiascos and several schedule changes, the film is now
slated for release Dec. 26.
(
Originally published Aug. 26, 2008 at 1:11 p.m. PT)
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More Valkyrie Woes, Extras Sue Tom Cruise - E! Online