Playboy Sued: Model Injured in Trampoline Fall
Model Denise Underhill has filed suit against Playboy for an injury she sustained while jumping on a trampoline during a photo shoot. The Playboy trampoline lawsuit is about a 2009 incident, but was only recently filed.
Underhill was required to jump on a trampoline for a photo shoot. During her jumping session, she tore the meniscus in her right knee. Instead of calling for doctors, however, photo shoot staff simply gave her crutches and sent her on her way.
Underhill is now asking for about $25,000 in damages for her injuries, claiming that she even had to undergo surgery on the bad knee, according to celebrity gossip source TMZ.
Part of Underhill's lawsuit concerns the lack of warnings that were posted around the trampoline. "There were no warning signs posted... as to the dangers posed by the use of the equipment," Underhill alleges, as reported by TMZ.
Trampolines have posed safety risks in the past. After all, in most cases, people are flying in the air, jumping much higher than they could without the aid of the trampoline. Injuries can occur depending on how a person lands, and on what they land on - such as the side of the trampoline, or if they hit an errant spring.
And, under a legal products liability theory, the manufacturer of a product can be liable if they do not adequately warn consumers of the hidden dangers of using their products. So, if there weren't adequate warnings posted on the trampoline, there may be liability - though arguably the dangers of using a trampoline aren't exactly "hidden."
Photo shoot staff may also have had the legal duty to warn Underhill about the dangers of jumping on a trampoline, and may be liable if the court can find that they were negligent in sending her away with crutches instead of calling for a doctor.
Denise Underhill's Playboy trampoline lawsuit is still underway.
Related Resources:
- Model Sues Playboy After Hurting Knee in Trampoline Shoot (My Fox Orlando)
- Defects in Warnings (FindLaw)
- Trampoline Parks Breed Trampoline Injuries (FindLaw's Injured)
- Trampoline Safety After Broken Bones, Head Injuries Nationwide (FindLaw's Common Law)