A “S.W.A.T.” television series actor injured in 2018 while shooting a scene involving a helicopter on the CBS series has settled his lawsuit against Sony, in which he alleged liability on the production company for not properly evaluating the danger of a stunt he was asked to perform.
Lawyers for Kenny Johnson filed a notice of settlement on Wednesday with Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Daniel M. Crowley, who canceled the scheduled March 8 trial date. No terms were divulged.
Johnson, 59, brought the lawsuit in July 2020 against Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc., Sony subsidiary Sony Pictures Television Inc. and Topanga Productions Inc., alleging negligence, ultrahazardous activity and peculiar risk. The two companies argued that neither company was involved in the stunt’s coordination.
In November, Crowley dismissed Topanga Productions as a defendant. The judge said the company exclusively controlled, supervised and directed Johnson’s work and produced all tools he used and that therefore, that part of the plaintiff’s case belonged in the workers’ compensation arena and not in the courts.
However, in addressing the portion of the case against Sony, the judge noted that Johnson’s attorneys offered the declaration of a veteran stunt man who as worked as a coordinator for Sony. The stunt man concluded that Johnson’s stunt was of a high risk and “negligently designed,” and that Sony’s alleged failure to affirmatively evaluate it beforehand resulted in Johnson’s injuries, according to the judge.
In their court papers, attorneys for the Sony entities argued that their clients did not provide the equipment used in the stunt or take part in its design or coordination, nor did they have control over the work Johnson performed during the “S.W.A.T.” series.
Johnson plays the character of Officer Dominque Luca and was on the “S.W.A.T.” set on July 18, 2018, to film a scene in which he was to simulate being pulled through the air while hanging onto the landing gear of a helicopter, according to the suit, which alleges the actor was “unreasonably exposed to danger and injury” during filming.
Johnson’s lawyers maintain in their court papers that the actor was healthy and in good physical shape before the incident, but the stunt left him injured in his “health, strength and activity” and also caused shock to his nervous system.
Johnson’s other roles include portraying Detective Curtis Lemansky in “The Shield,” Butch “Burner” Barnes in “Pensacola: Wings of Gold” and Detective Ham Dewey in “Saving Grace.”