Hickson V Incident Productions
Hickson V Incident Productions
Hickson V Incident Productions
CI 18-01- 130ct
BETWEEN:
TAYLOR HICKSON,
Plaintiff,
- and -
Defendant.
STATEMENT OF CLAIM
Telephone:(204)944-8777
Fax:(204) 947-2593
File No. 172305
THE QUEEN'S BENCH
Winnipeg Centre
BETWEEN:
TAYLOR HICKSON,
Plaintiff,
- and -
Defendant.
STATEMENT OF CLAIM
TO THE DEFENDANT
IF YOU WISH TO DEFEND THIS PROCEEDING, you or a Manitoba lawyer acting for
you must prepare a statement of defence in Form 18A prescribed by the Queen's Bench Rules,
serve it on the Plaintiff's lawyer or, where the Plaintiff does not have a lawyer, serve it on the
Plaintiff, and file it in this court office, WITHIN TWENTY DAYS after this statement of claim is
served on you, if you are served in Manitoba.
If you are served in another province or territory of Canada or in the United States of
America, the period for serving and filing your statement of defence is forty days. If you are
served outside Canada and the United States of America, the period is sixty days.
CLAIM
h) Costs; and
)
i Such further and other relief as this Honourable Court deems just.
2. The Plaintiff is currently 20 years old. She is an actor and resides in the City of Kelowna
3. The Defendant is a business duly incorporated pursuant to the laws of Manitoba. At all
material times the Defendant operated as producer of movies and did so, in part, in and around
4. In the fall of 2016, the Defendant was in Winnipeg, Manitoba, producing a movie known
March, 2018.
5. In or about December, 2016, the Defendant contracted with the Plaintiff to act in
"Incident in a Ghostland" in a significant role (the "Contract"). The Plaintiff was on set shooting
scenes for most dates from October 21, 2016 to December 15, 2016.
6. On December 15, 2016, the Plaintiff attended the set which was located at 862 Dufferin
7. The Plaintiff states that at all material times the Defendant was the occupier of the
Premises as defined in The Occupiers' Liability Act, R.S.M. 1987, c. 08 (the "Act") and was
8. The Plaintiff states that the Defendant owed the Plaintiff a duty of care under the Act, at
law and/or as expressly or impliedly outlined in the Contract to ensure that the Defendant:
a) take any and all reasonable steps to ensure that the Plaintiff would be safe in
b) take any and all reasonable steps to ensure that industry standards and practices
were adhered to, including but not limited to the use of safety glass and/or stunt
doubles as appropriate;
c) take any and all reasonable steps to ensure that the Plaintiff was not asked to do
anything in the shooting of her scenes for which it was or ought to have been
d) fully advise the Plaintiff of the risk of any potential injury while shooting her
scenes and to provide a reasonable plan to ensure the Plaintiff's safety in those
circumstances; and
e) not expose the Plaintiff to a risk of injury of which it knew or ought to have known
could occur.
9. On December 15, 2016, while on set at the Premises, the Plaintiff was required to shoot
an emotionally charged scene whereby her character was required to, with her face near or
against the glass in a door, pound with her fists on the pane of glass in the door (the "Scene").
10. In the course of shooting the Scene, the Director, consistently told the Plaintiff to pound
1 1. The Plaintiff states that at all material times the Director was an employee of the
Defendant and thus the Defendant is vicariously liable for the acts of the Director.
12. At one point during the filming of the Scene and after being asked to increase the
strength with which the Plaintiff pounded on the glass, the Plaintiff asked one of the Producers
and the Director if it was safe to do so. That Producer and the Director both replied in the
affirmative.
13. While filming another take of the Scene the Plaintiff pounded hard on the glass as
instructed. The glass shattered, causing the Plaintiff's head and upper body to fall through the
14. As a result of the Incident, the Plaintiff badly cut the left side of her face. She was
rushed to hospital and received approximately 70 stitches. She has since undergone treatment
including laser treatment and silicone treatment, but over one year post-Incident, has been left
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with permanent scarring on the left side of her face (the "Injury"). It is unknown at this time if
any further treatment, including plastic surgery, would reduce the visual appearance of the
Injury.
15. The Plaintiff states it is an industry standard within the movie industry that, when
shooting a scene such as the Scene described herein, either safety glass be used which would,
upon shattering, break into pieces which would not result in sharp shards on which an actor
could be cut and/or that a stunt double be used for such a Scene. Neither occurred in this case.
16. The Plaintiff states that the Defendant knew or ought to have known of the dangerous
situation it had placed the Plaintiff in. The Plaintiff further states that the Injury was reasonably
foreseeable and was caused solely by the negligence and/or breach of contract by the
Defendant in that it failed in exercising the duty of care it owed to the Plaintiff pursuant to the
Act, at law or pursuant to the express and/or implied terms of the Contract in that it failed to:
a) take any and all reasonable steps to ensure that the Plaintiff would be reasonably
b) take any and all reasonable steps to ensure that industry standards and practices
were adhered to, including but not limited to the use of safety glass and/or stunt
doubles as appropriate;
c) take any and all reasonable steps to ensure that the Plaintiff was not asked to do
anything in the shooting of her scenes for which it was or ought to have been
d) fully advise the Plaintiff of the risk of any potential injury while shooting her
scenes and to provide a reasonable plan to ensure the Plaintiff's safety in those
circumstances; and
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e) not expose the Plaintiff to a risk of injury of which it knew or ought to have known
could occur.
17. As a result of the Incident, the Plaintiff has suffered the physical Injury as outlined
herein. That Injury was painful, required surgery and has resulted in mental distress to the
18. The Plaintiff was a busy, up and coming actor in the very competitive movie industry.
The Plaintiff states that as a result of the Injury, she has lost income the period of time she was
19. Further, the Plaintiff states that prior to the Injury she was an up and coming actor with a
bright future in the movie industry. Due to the Injury, post-Incident, the Plaintiff has struggled to
find work as an actor and states that same is due to her Injury. She states she has and will
Date:
TAPPER CUDDY LLP
Barristers and Solicitors
1000 — 330 St. Mary Avenue
Winnipeg, Manitoba
R3C 3Z5
Phone:(204) 944-8777
Fax:(204)947-2593