Stephen Fry launches £100k lawsuit at tech festival after falling off stage

Stephen Fry has hit the organisers of tech conference CogX Festival with a lawsuit after he was injured falling off stage while making a speech in September 2023.

The 68-year-old is seeking up to £100,000 in damages, after filing a personal injury claim against CogX Festival Ltd and the creative agency Blonstein Events Ltd.

The Celebrity Traitors star, who had been booked to give a talk on AI, detailed his injuries in December 2023, during a chat with Claudia Winkleman on BBC Radio 2.

He said: “I did my bow after delivering this lecture, turned to go off stage and didn’t realise that I was walking off the part of the stage where there was nothing – just a 6ft drop on to concrete.

“So I broke my right leg in a couple of places and my hip and pelvis in four places and a bunch of ribs.”

He also said he had “praised [his] lucky stars” that his skull or spine were not injured as a result.

According to BBC News, the court documents say: “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.”

Fry’s lawyer Keith Barrett said: “It’s very unfortunate that court proceedings were necessary, but the Defendants do not accept Sir Stephen’s account of events, and we have had to ask the court to determine who is responsible for his injury and losses.”

CogX Festival Ltd’s response

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.”

Meanwhile, BBC News reports that Blonstein Events Ltd, which is also listed as a defendant, has not yet been formally notified of the lawsuit.

“No court proceedings have been served by Sir Stephen Fry, nor those representing him,” the company said in a statement.

“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.”

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