Bret Michaels Settles Head Banging Lawsuit vs. Tony Awards

By Edward Tan, JD on May 15, 2012 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Rocker Bret Michaels has settled his lawsuit against organizers of the Tony Awards.

The Poison frontman filed the suit after being hit by a piece of scenery during the 2009 awards show, the Los Angeles Times reports. Michaels had just finished performing and claims he was told to exit the stage towards the hazard.

His nose was broken and he received three stitches in his lip. He also blamed the incident for a near-fatal brain hemorrhage he sustained 10 months later.

So what's the "Rock of Love" reality star getting for his troubles?

Unfortunately, everyone is staying tight-lipped about the details. The settlement agreement was confidential. But what's known is that it covers both the organizers of the Tony Awards and CBS, the network that aired the event.

Michaels originally claimed four causes of actions in his complaint. He sought damages for negligence, negligent interference with an economic advantage, negligent misrepresentation, and battery.

While the singer didn't state how much he was looking for, his complaint indicated that he wasn't likely going to hold back. In addition to attorney fees, Michaels also wanted compensatory, incidental, special, and consequential damages for the incident.

However, this all would've likely been minimal compared to the amount he could've recovered by way of punitive damages. Awards here serve the dual purpose of punishing and deterring defendants. And it's also usually where the big money is when it comes to lawsuits.

But there's no way to know how much Bret Michaels could've received from organizers of the Tony Awards now that his lawsuit is settled.

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