Resident Evil Producers Seeking Dismissal Of Lawsuit From Stuntwoman Who Lost Her Arm

The producers of the Resident Evil movie franchise are asking the courts to throw out a lawsuit from the stunt performer who sustained injuries so bad on the set of the latest movie that she needed to have one of her arms amputated. The legal team for director Paul W.S. Anderson and producing partner Jeremy Bolt filed documents asking for Olivia Jackson's lawsuit to be dismissed.

Jackson's "American lawyers are suing the wrong people in the wrong place," the legal team for Anderson and Bolt said in its request for dismissal. The lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court in August this year; Jackson is asking for unspecified damages to help pay for her medical bills, which are ongoing. Jackson suffered serious injuries on the set of Resident Evil: The Final Chapter when performing a motorcycle stunt that went wrong. It was so bad that doctors amputated her left arm above the elbow.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Jackson's lawsuit claims that "Anderson and Bolt created an unsafe working environment on the set of the last installment of the popular movie franchise, and also failed to procure adequate insurance to cover the injuries that resulted from her crash." Anderson and Bolt, meanwhile, claim that because Jackson was reportedly hired for The Final Chapter by an "unrelated" company based in South Africa, they are not responsible for paying damages.

The lawyers for the director and producer also state that this company, Davis Films, tried to get Jackson a $3.2 million liability policy from a South African insurance company called Hollard Insurance. However, Hollard reportedly would not pay Jackson's claim because the terms apparently stated that the policy does not cover "all cast and crew."

Davis did, however, pay $248,265 to Jackson to help her cover her medical expenses, according to the suit. Anderson and Bolt's lawyers say Jackson's attempt to resurface the issue in California court is a "publicity stunt masquerading as a lawsuit."

Go to THR to get more details on the case.

Jackson also did stuntwork for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1, Mad Max: Fury Road, and Avengers: Age of Ultron. Performing a motorcycle stunt for Resident Evil actress Milla Jovovich in The Final Chapter, Jackson smashed into a camera after it failed to lift in time, according to her lawsuit. Jackson suffered serious injuries and was in a coma for 17 days before waking up to realize the extent of her career-ending injuries.

October 2015, Jackson released a Facebook post that detailed the extent of her injuries, which included "brain bleed[ing], brain swelling, severed main artery in the neck, crushed and degloved face, several broken ribs, paralyzed arm, shattered scapula, broken clavicle, broken humerus, broken radius and ulna, with an open wound and a 7.5 piece of bone missing, [and an] amputated thumb." In an interview she stated: "My facial scarring is horrible and I wish I had my old face. But I'm truly grateful to be alive."

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter was released in January 2017, and was the most successful movie in the series to date, making $312.2 million worldwide. In total the series, which kicked off in 2002, has made more than $1.2 billion worldwide.