A federal judge has dismissed the case filed by James Walker Jr., an extra who sued Will Smith’s studio and several Hollywood filmmakers after being injured on the set of the 2022 movie “Emancipation,” shot in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana. Walker alleged negligence by studio heads, claiming he was struck in the face by a 50-pound camera during an action sequence.
Originally filed in the 19th Judicial District Court in Baton Rouge in 2022, the case was transferred to U.S. Middle District Court of Louisiana last year. On January 30, U.S. District Chief Judge Shelly Dick dismissed Walker’s lawsuit, citing a lack of sufficient facts to support his civil claims.
Walker, a background actor, suffered multiple facial bone fractures and was evaluated for traumatic brain injury after being struck by the cable-suspended camera system traveling at 60 mph. The incident occurred during the filming of a Civil War battle scene on November 29, 2021. Walker’s lawsuit accused the production crew of negligence, alleging inadequate training and unsafe operation of the camera equipment during “high-risk, blockbuster shots.” The complaint also suggested that the production team knowingly engaged in actions that could lead to injury.
Individual defendants named in the lawsuit included Antoine Fuqua (the film’s director), award-winning cinematographer Robert Bridge Richardson, and stunt coordinator Jeffrey Dashnaw. Additionally, Walker sued a Louisiana subsidiary of Apple Studios, Fuqua’s Los Angeles-based film company, Hollywood producer Joey McFarland’s studio, McFarland Entertainment, and Westbrook Studios, primarily owned by Will and Jada Pinkett Smith.
Attorneys for the filmmakers and studios had the case moved to federal court in March 2023, subsequently filing motions to dismiss the claims. They argued that Walker’s accusations were “bare legal conclusions” and lacked specific facts indicating the defendants’ responsibility for the accident. Walker’s legal team countered, asserting that the lawsuit detailed valid causes of action.
However, Judge Dick ruled in favor of dismissal. She highlighted that the Louisiana Workers’ Compensation Act prohibited Walker from filing negligence claims against his employers for on-the-job injuries. Furthermore, she concluded that Walker failed to meet the burden required to establish a statutory exception to preserve his intentional act claim.
“Emancipation,” released by Apple Studios in December 2022, starred Will Smith and depicted the story of “Whipped Peter,” an enslaved man who survived severe whippings. The film followed his journey through Louisiana swamps to reach a Union Army outpost, with Will Smith in the lead role.
