AMC is set to go to court after stuntman John Bernecker passed away on the set of The Walking Dead in 2017.
After his passing, Bernecker’s family filed a lawsuit against AMC for negligence in early 2018. A year later now, a Georgia judge has ruled that the case will continue to go forward with a jury being brought out to help determine if The Walking Dead is responsible for not creating a safe environment on set. AMC has maintained that both they and the crew of The Walking Dead cannot be held liable for Bernecker’s death under Georgia law as the stuntman is responsible for assessing the safety of the stunt and its surrounding circumstances.
Nevertheless, The Walking Dead trial is now set to commence on December 9th, two years after Bernecker’s tragic passing. AMC has disagreed with the judge’s ruling to go to trial but has respected their decision to do so. They have continued to maintain their stance that they are not liable, especially considering that another company was overseeing the stunt.
AMC has released the following statement in light of this news.
“This was a tragic accident. While we continue to believe our motions for summary judgment were appropriate and supported by the facts in this case and the law, we respect the Court’s decision — without making any determination on the merits of either side’s arguments — to allow the case to proceed.”
John Bernecker has over 90 stunt credits to his name and has appeared in films such as Logan and Black Panther. He passed away on July 12, 2017 on the set of The Walking Dead. The Walking Dead continues to air, with the 10th season having its premiere last week.
Here is the official synopsis for The Walking Dead season 10:
A few months after the end of Season 9, the collected communities are still dealing with the after effects of Alpha’s horrific display of power, reluctantly respecting the new border imposed on them, all while organizing themselves into a militia-style fighting force, preparing for a battle that may be unavoidable.
The Walking Dead stars Norman Reedus, Danai Gurira, Melissa McBride, Josh McDermitt, Christian Serratos, Seth Gilliam, Ross Marquand, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Khary Payton, Callan McAuliffe, Avi Nash, and Samantha Morton as Alpha.
The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9 p.m. EST on AMC.
Source: Variety
