A stuntman and his wife settled the negligence suit they filed against an actress and two production companies over injuries the man says he received when the main star of the “Rebel” television series applied too much pressure during a simulated chokehold scene in 2017.
Patrick and Amber Gallaway’s Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit was filed in June 2018 against actress Danielle Mone Truitt and production companies Mar Vista Entertainment LLC and Silverscreen Pictures Entertainment Inc.
Black Entertainment Television LLC also was originally sued, but the plaintiffs dropped BET as a defendant in December 2018.
Lawyers for the Gallaways filed a notice of settlement Thursday with Judge Thomas D. Long. No terms were divulged.
Gallaway was performing a scene with Truitt on the “Rebel” set in Canoga Park on Jan. 27, 2017, that called for her to perform a simulated chokehold, according to the suit.
According to the defense’s court papers, Truitt is “a professional actor who takes great pride in her craft” and did not intend to harm Gallaway.
Truitt, 35 years old at the time of the incident and now 39, did not know Gallaway before the incident and only intended to perform the scene to the best of her ability according to instructions she received from the stunt coordinator, according to the defense’s court papers.
However, the suit alleged Truitt applied excessive force to Gallaway’s neck, causing him to lose consciousness and fall to the floor, hitting his head with “great force.”
“On the date of my injury … Truitt deployed a downward elbow move that was never rehearsed or discussed with me,” Gallaway said in a sworn declaration. “Moreover, I was never advised to wear protective gear to protect myself from any such move. The impact … from this downward elbow move resulted in a hypoxic and/or anoxic brain injury.”
Contrary to what the defense contended, Truitt was in control of the chokehold scene and deviated from what was rehearsed, according to Gallaway.
Prior to performing the scene with Truitt, Gallaway performed multiple takes with the actress’ stunt double. Zee James did not use her elbow, according to Gallaway, who said that those takes were filmed, but not produced by the studios.
“Rebel” is a police drama television series that premiered on BET in March 2017. The show follows Oakland police officer Rebecca “Rebel” Knight, portrayed by Truitt.