A crew member who suffered a traumatic brain injury from a near-fatal fall on the set of the Netflix film Me Time has reached a settlement in his lawsuit against the facility owner. Michael Oronoz, who was working as a grip at Sunset Gower Studios in September 2021, fell from a catwalk 33 feet to the floor below, leaving him in a coma for three weeks. He endured a lengthy and difficult recovery, which included relearning basic motor skills like walking and talking.
Oronoz filed a lawsuit in 2023 against Hudson Pacific Properties, the owner of the 1957-built studio, alleging that the company’s failure to properly maintain the building contributed to the accident. The lawsuit, which centered on the unsafe conditions of the catwalk, was dismissed on Monday. Attorneys on both sides of the case have declined to comment on the resolution, and the terms of the settlement were not disclosed. Netflix, which was not a defendant in the suit, also declined to comment on the matter.
Oronoz’s fall occurred while he was attempting to fix a motorized hoist that had become jammed. To steady himself, he leaned against a gate that was located above the catwalk. However, the gate swung outward over an unprotected void, leading to his fall. His lawyer, Alexander Eisner, argued that the gate’s design violated modern safety standards, which would require a gate to either slide or swing inward to prevent accidents. Eisner noted that there was no legal requirement for the studio to bring the building up to these updated standards, which left the studio’s safety practices and building maintenance in question.
A photograph taken just three months prior to the accident showed the gate tied with a rope, indicating that the latch was not functioning properly, which further supported the argument that safety measures were inadequately maintained. “It’s difficult to defend how you could let this persist,” Eisner said in an interview with Variety last fall.
Following the accident, Oronoz underwent 11 surgeries and was left with memory loss, reportedly losing 10 years of his memory. The road to recovery has been long and challenging, with Oronoz being unable to work for an extended period due to his injuries. His medical bills, which totaled $5 million, were covered by workers’ compensation insurance, but his attorney estimated that lost wages and future medical expenses could reach $14 million.
Oronoz, a member of IATSE Local 80, returned to work in a limited capacity last year, though he is only able to work a few days a week due to the ongoing effects of his injury. Despite the challenges, Oronoz remains optimistic. “God is good for sure,” he said in an interview. “If it wasn’t for him, I’d be dead.”
In the wake of the accident, Oronoz’s wife, Selina, publicly criticized what she called lax safety standards on movie sets. She spoke with Variety in the fall, stating, “We want things to be fixed. The buildings are old. They know this equipment is old, and after all these years, they haven’t done anything about it.”
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Oronoz’s case is one in a series of recent incidents highlighting concerns over safety in the film industry. In February 2024, another tragic fall occurred at Radford Studio Center when J.C. “Spike” Osorio fell 41 feet to his death. An investigation by Cal/OSHA found that the accident was caused by rotten wood in the catwalk, and the agency issued citations to both Radford and Disney. That incident prompted several studio facilities to take action, retrofitting their catwalks to improve safety and prevent similar accidents from happening in the future.
Oronoz’s accident and the subsequent lawsuit bring attention to the ongoing issue of workplace safety on film sets, particularly at older studio facilities. While safety regulations have improved over time, incidents like these continue to underscore the need for better enforcement of maintenance standards and the need to update older infrastructure to ensure worker safety.
Though the terms of the lawsuit settlement have not been made public, Oronoz’s experience serves as a stark reminder of the risks that crew members face while working in the entertainment industry. As the case is resolved, the focus on improving safety measures on set and preventing future accidents is likely to continue.
