Motley Crue + Netflix Sued by ‘The Dirt’ Crew Member Over Severe Injuries
A crew member involved in Netflix's Motley Crue biopic The Dirt has sued both the company and the band over severe electrical burns he suffered last year on the set of the movie, as reported by the New Orleans Advocate. The Dirt, the film based on the 2001 book about the storied rock group, was released by the streaming outlet last week.
Louis DiVincenti, a rigging grip for the production, said he was electrocuted by a power line on set in March 2018, leaving him with second and third-degree burns covering 50 percent of his body. The incident occurred as he assisted the crew in filming a scene where New Orleans restaurant the Munch Factory was transformed into famous Hollywood nightclub Whisky a Go Go (while set in L.A., much of The Dirt was filmed in Louisiana).
Now, the crew member is seeking damages that include $1.8 million in medical bills, the Advocate reported. The suit, filed March 1 in Orleans Parish Civil District Court, alleges that "Netflix and the producers of the movie The Dirt, including band members Tommy Lee, Mick Mars, Vince Neil and Nikki Sixx, are liable for the production's failure to address electrical hazards near the Munch Factory restaurant in the Lower Garden District."
DiVincenti, who performs on-set duties such as setting up lighting mounts and green screens, said he was handing metal pipes down to other crew members on March 10, 2018, when one of the pipes made contact with a power line. It was then that an electric current "arced through his body and blew out through his right foot," per the lawsuit.
Rushed to University Medical Center, doctors reportedly gave the movie grip a two percent chance of survival. However, DiVincenti has pulled through after numerous surgeries, skin grafts and the amputation of his right foot.
The crew member's lawsuit claims The Dirt's production team didn't take the proper safety precautions during the filming, such as assuring the power lines were de-energized, and should be held responsible for his injuries.
66 Most Important Moments in Metal History