Steve Aoki cleared of liability after breaking fan’s neck

by: Amanda Mesa Aug 17, 2016

Back in May of 2012, Steve Aoki broke a fan’s neck during a show at the Hard Rock Cafe in San Diego after diving from the scaffolding at the venue and attempting to land inside an inflatable crowd-surfing raft. While the stage tactic was nothing knew for Aoki at the time, he managed to land directly on top of Brittany Hickman’s head. Hickman said she regained consciousness as one of the Hard Rock’s staff was wrapping her ankle.

In the aftermath of the event, Hickman and her family filed a $10 million lawsuit against Aoki and the Hard Rock Cafe for refusing to take on Hickman’s medical bills and two-month disability period. Lawyers for Aoki and the Hard Rock Cafe said that Hickman should have been aware of the oncoming stage dive, as Aoki is known to perform similar stunts at most of his shows.

Now the jury has made their decision in the case, rejecting Hickman’s claim for $10 million in damages and offering a 10-2 verdict in favor of Hard Rock after a two-week trial. Steve Aoki has also been acquitted of liability after reportedly reaching a settlement outside of court with Hickman before the trial.

You can watch the original video documenting the incident below: