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    Georgia jury awards $8.6M in “Walking Dead” stuntman’s death

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments1878 Views
    In this image released by AMC, Danai Gurira, left, and Andrew Lincoln appear in a scene from “The Walking Dead.” (Gene Page/AMC via AP)
    LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. (AP) --

    A Georgia jury has awarded $8.6 million to the family of a stuntman killed during the production of a "Walking Dead" episode in 2017.

    The Daily Report reports the verdict  Thursday comes after a weeklong trial before Gwinnett County State Court Judge Emily Brantley. Jurors began deliberations late Tuesday and handed up the verdict shortly before 6 p.m.

    Lawyers for defendants AMC and production company Stalwart Films had argued that John Bernecker's death in a fall from a balcony during a staged fight was an unforeseen accident that happened when the trained stuntman missed a landing pad 25 feet (7.62 meters) below. They said AMC Networks was not found to be negligent as part of the verdict. 

    Bernecker's parents, Susan and Hagen Bernecker, sued AMC, Stalwart and several other defendants involved in the show's production, claiming they skimped on safety measures for financial and scheduling concerns.

    In a statement, plaintiffs attorney Jeffrey Harris said the 33-year-old "was a remarkably talented stunt professional who had an incredibly bright future in the film industry. My sincere hope is this verdict sends a clear message regarding the need to both elevate and strictly adhere to industry safety standards every day, on every shoot, on every film set.

    "John's tragic and preventable death happened as a result of a series of safety-related failures. Learning from these failures will go a long way in making sure that similar tragedies do not happen to another performer or another family," he said.

    "There is no winning or losing in this situation, this was a terrible and tragic accident and our sympathies continue to go out to John Bernecker's family and friends. The set of 'The Walking Dead' is safe and is managed to meet or exceed all industry standards and guidelines related to stunts and stunt safety. That has been the case across the production of 10 seasons and more than 150 episodes, and it continues to be the case today, notwithstanding this very sad and isolated accident.," AMC Networks said in a statement late Thursday. 

    Jackson Dial, an attorney for the defendants, said they planned to appeal.

    Tags:AMCJohn BerneckerStalwart FilmsWalking Dead



    Ex-OpenAI engineer who raised legal concerns about the technology he helped build has died

    Saturday, December 21, 2024
    Suchir Balaji poses for a photo in Hawaii in 2018. Balaji was a former OpenAI engineer and whistleblower who died in November 2024. (Balaji Ramamurthy via AP)

    Suchir Balaji, a former OpenAI engineer and whistleblower who helped train the artificial intelligence systems behind ChatGPT and later said he believed those practices violated copyright law, has died, according to his parents and San Francisco officials. He was 26.

    Balaji worked at OpenAI for nearly four years before quitting in August. He was well-regarded by colleagues at the San Francisco company, where a co-founder this week called him one of OpenAI's strongest contributors who was essential to developing some of its products.

    "We are devastated to learn of this incredibly sad news and our hearts go out to Suchir's loved ones during this difficult time," said a statement from OpenAI.

    Balaji was found dead in his San Francisco apartment on Nov. 26 in what police said "appeared to be a suicide. No evidence of foul play was found during the initial investigation." The city's chief medical examiner's office confirmed the manner of death to be suicide.

    His parents Poornima Ramarao and Balaji Ramamurthy said they are still seeking answers, describing their son as a "happy, smart and brave young man" who loved to hike and recently returned from a trip with friends.

    Balaji grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and first arrived at the fledgling AI research lab for a 2018 summer internship while studying computer science at the University of California, Berkeley. He returned a few years later to work at OpenAI, where one of his first projects, called WebGPT, helped pave the way for ChatGPT.

    "Suchir's contributions to this project were essential, and it wouldn't have succeeded without him," said OpenAI co-founder John Schulman in a social media post memorializing Balaji. Schulman, who recruited Balaji to his team, said what... Read More

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