Disney has been fined $36,000 in the February death of a crew member working on the Marvel series “Wonder Man.”
A Cal/OSHA investigation determined that the wooden catwalk which 41-year-old lighting technician J.C. “Spike” Osorio fell from was “deteriorated” and gave way “suddenly and without warning.”
The fatal accident occurred on Feb. 6 at Stage 3 at the Radford Studio Center in Studio City.
“The deteriorated ledger was weakened likely due to age, environmental conditions and repeated stress loads over many decades,” according to a statement issued by the agency, which levied two penalties of $18,000 each against Marvel parent company Disney.
They concluded that Osorio was standing on the weakened section of the catwalk, when “suddenly and without warning, the ledger supporting the floorboard broke apart and collapsed…. The employee fell 41 feet and forcefully impacted the ground below.”
Cal/OSHA also issued two $22,5000 citations to the nearly 100-year-old Radford Studio Center. Both companies have 15 business days to appeal the fines.
In May, Osorio’s widow, Joanne Osorio-Wu, and his mother, Zoila Osorio, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Radford Studio Center. The suit alleges that the facility should have known that the catwalks “were in a dilapidated condition and in desperate need of repair.”
The family’s lawyer, Erika Contreras, told Variety that the citations “confirm that Mr. Osorio’s death was 100% preventable.” She added, “It also confirms Radford Studio Center failed in its non-delegable duty to properly maintain, repair and inspect its premises. Unfortunately, Mr. Osorio paid the ultimate price for Radford’s failure.”
Hackman Capital Partners, who bought the studio from ViacomCBS in 2021 for $1.85 billion, did not comment on Friday.
In February, the company said it was “deeply saddened” by Osorio’s death and was continuing to “fully cooperate with the ongoing investigations.”
Osorio, who was a member of IATSE Local 728, also worked on the films “The Dark Tower” and “Ant-Man and the Wasp,” as well as on TV series including “Goliath,” “Mayans M.C.” and “American Born Chinese.”
TheWrap has reached out to Disney and Radford Center Studios. No one was available to comment Friday afternoon at Hackman Capital Partners.
Variety first reported this story.
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