Ratner on the set of Hercules in Budapest.
Kerry BrownHercules was a disappointment at the box office this summer, but the troubles don’t stop there for the film’s director, Brett Ratner.
Lauryn Flynn filed a lawsuit on Thursday against Ratner for injuries she allegedly suffered at his home during a party after the premiere of the Dwayne Johnson film on July 24.
Flynn, a 42-year-old stylist, says she was a guest at the party and went into Ratner’s basement during the festivities, where a DJ was performing for 100 to 200 people. She says that someone accidentally broke a glass table and that she tore her Achilles tendon when glass shards struck her in the leg. She claims the injury required a total of 87 stitches.
Flynn says she was taken to the hospital that night by the Uber car service and that no one called 911 because “it would have generated bad publicity for Brett,” according to her complaint. Flynn alleges that Ratner was overheard saying, “People get hurt here all the time. Just clean it up.”
The lawsuit says that Lauryn has been unable to work since the incident, and she is seeking unspecified damages.
Ratner’s lawyer, Martin Singer, issued the following statement to The Hollywood Reporter: “The claims made by Lauryn Flynn in her lawsuit about Brett Ratner are completely false and defamatory. Her brother Beau Flynn [who is Ratner’s producing partner] has confirmed that he immediately drove her to the emergency room at Cedars Sinai after he wrapped her leg.”
“Brett never made the statement, ‘People get hurt here all the time. Just clean it up,’ ” Singer added. “It is a fabrication. Nobody has been hurt there before, and Brett was not aware of the accident at the time it occurred. It is obvious that this lawsuit is a way for Lauryn Flynn to try and get her 15 minutes of fame.”
Ratner’s PR rep, Simon Halls, told THR that Ratner is “completely” taken aback by the legal action. “It’s really unfortunate that she cut herself, but nobody is at fault here,” Halls said. Beau Flynn and Ratner produced Hercules, which had a $100 million production budget and has thus far collected $70.3 million at the domestic box office.
Aug. 30, 10:26 a.m. Updated with Halls’ comments.
Aug. 30, 6:36 p.m. Updated with Singer’s statement.
Email: Ryan.Gajewski@pgmedia.org
Twitter: @_RyanGajewski
