A California federal judge has rendered a big ruling on the insurance dispute that emanated from the fatal train accident during the 2014 shooting of the Gregg Allman biopic Midnight Rider in Georgia.
In a summary judgment opinion released on Thursday, the film's production company is denied a bid to force its insurer to cover losses. U.S. District Judge Otis Wright concludes that criminal acts have been properly excluded under the film company's policy.
On Feb. 20, 2014, the film crew entered private property to shoot a scene on a railway trestle bridge when a train barreling forward at an estimated 57 miles per hour had the crew frantically fleeing. Unfortunately, camera assistant Sarah Jones couldn't get away and was killed while others were injured.
|Involuntary manslaughter, criminal trespass
Midnight Rider director Randall Miller pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter and criminal trespass and spent time in prison for what happened. Meanwhile, Film Allman LLC filed a lawsuit against New York Marine and General Insurance Company with the allegation that the defendant had "sabotaged the Film, the very thing that it agreed to insure and protect when it issued the Producers Policy to Film Allman."
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