TV Exec Sues Academy, Los Angeles And AEG for Emmy Fall

Nancy Lesser, HBO’s EVP of media and talent, filed a negligence lawsuit seeking more than $1 million against the Television Academy, the City of Los Angeles and AEG for injuries she received in a fall outside the Microsoft Theatre the night of the 2016 Emmys.

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Lesser claims that “dangerous conditions” on the red carpet and venue exits are to blame for a fractured pelvis and other injuries she sustained Sept. 16.

While exiting the venue, “in a heavy throng of attendees,” Lesser stepped into a dirt cut-out space on the concrete, causing her to fall, according to court documents obtained by Deadline Hollywood. Multiple injuries sustained when she fell backwards and landed on a hip caused her to lose eight months of work, spend months more recovering and pile up more than $1 million in medical bills.

“These concrete cut-outs with dirt and trees, the poor lighting of the area and the creation of a throng of people overloading the walkway that the attendees were directed to were each a dangerous condition created by defendants and … caused plaintiff’s accident to occur,” the complaint says.

The complaint adds that Lesser sustained damages including loss of income and earnings for almost one year after the accident, as she was unable to “perform her duties and responsibilities as required by her being an Executive Vice President of Media and Talent Relations for HBO.”

Pollstar has reached out to AEG for comment.