Rosie Perez to Sue Over 'Law & Order: SVU' Injuries

By Kelly Fisher Posted May 19th 2011 06:55AM

Actress Rosie Perez was injured on the set of 'Law & Order: SVU' in 2009 and now she's taking legal action against the NBC show.

According to the NY Daily News, Perez was filming a guest role on the hit New York City-based crime drama in September 2009 when a scene called for an extra to forcibly shake her. The violent action caused Perez to suffer a herniated disc which took two surgeries to correct.

"The thing to do was taking someone who knows what he's doing to make it look violent without being violent," said Perez's lawyer Brian O'Dwyer, who filed a lawsuit Wednesday in the Brooklyn Supreme Court. "This person was not a stuntman, he was just an extra."

Perez continued to work on the episode, titled 'Hardwired,' which O'Dwyer said likely caused her injuries to worsen.

"There was pressure on her to continue and finish up the episode and she did," he said.

The lawsuit doesn't mention a specific dollar amount the 'Pineapple Express' actress hopes to get from the lawsuit, but given the severity of her injuries, O'Dwyer expects "very substantial" damages.

Perez underwent two surgeries to correct the problem, including a spinal fusion last summer, just days before she attended a White House ceremony. The actress attended the event in a wheelchair and neck brace.

"She's still suffering severe pain, numbness of the arms, and she'll never be the same despite the surgery," said O'Dwyer, who added that the injuries Perez sustained on the 'Law & Order' set resulted in her loss of work for nearly a year.

Tags: rosie perez

Comments

(60)

Thursday 19 May

By cac006006

Highest Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

Rosie was in a movie as few years ago as the nasty wife of Nic Cage and she pretended to have to been hurt in a fake fall. I think it was called It Can Happen to You. Life imitating art?

By joan

Yes, and it appears she is not getting too many offers for work so she is trying to make a quick buck suing the network who did give her a job. Nice lady!!!

By dlo237

High Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

That movie popped into my head as soon as I saw the picture of her!

By syl1969

Vote down Vote up Report this

Exactly!! Not like she worked much before this accident. If she was in such great demand in movies, why was she even doing a guest shot on SVU?

By fact

She was lucky enough to get a job but now wants to turn it into a big payout knowing her roles are far and few.

By msparkslope548

First let me say that I am not a Rosie Perez fan but I do respect her as an Actress. I don't really see Rosie working that much anywhere, figure out the math. Who knows what condition Rosie's health was in before she took the part on Law & Order, boo hoo hoo. Rosie being shaken should have done something to correct her annoying voice, yuk!.

By Benwa

Maybe her lack of work is attributable to her inability to speak clearly and also the fact that she is ugly.

He cracks me up!!!

Sorry - this was supposed to be a response to Redneck about Gilbert Gottfried.

By Barbara

you care or you would not read or write about it.

By laura22122

If I were her, I wouldn't be telling anyone she hurt herself by someone SHAKING her... um, really?

Thursday 16 June

By Angel

Well, she didn't exactly hurt herself if someone else shook her now did she genius?

By Jules

I find it hard to believe one could suffer a herniated disc by simply being shaken. If so, I would be suspicious that she may had a pre-existing condition in that area. I suffer every day from a herniated disc (C5-C6), but I sustained that when I fell very hard and from a high altitude 20+ years ago. I landed right on my neck/upper back. But just being shaken? I don't think she would have been shaken hard enough in a TV shoot to sustain that kind of injury.

By Big Paul

I worked as an extra on that episode,but not the scene where
she was shaken.

I thought she was very good in her character.

She should have gone for medical attention immediately
if needed, not a law suit almost 2 years after.

By kimpjones

Big Paul,
I was/am thinking the same thing. I have yet to understand how or why people wait 2 or 3 years before filling a lawsuit. Are these people really trying to say that their drs don't know the extent of their injuries?!

By Chaz Goodman

You got to be kidding me!! These are pre-existing injuries from years of "Being on her back" to get roles, and her pathetic dancing on "In Living Color". Just another idiot gone broke and now will use any means to get money.

By Ronin

I knew Rosie before she was the dance choreographer for Inliving Color. Sweet Girl. We wanted to work on movies together.

By michael

Any performer shaking another performer is NOT doing "extra work." This performer should have been a SAG member working under the SAG principal contract, and SAG should be handling this as a contract violation.

By Lou

CBS are you serious??? Is John or Angus going to take Charlie's part cause they both look older than Ashton (the beard doesnt cut it) Ashton go back to your OLD lady

By Lola

SUE SUE SUE that's all we do in the USA

They should have to pay ALL of her medical bills ( anythoing related to this incident for the rest of her life) and of course cover the cost of any work she may be out of as a result of this

BUT THAT IS IT !!! People always look at things like this as a way to pocket millions for " the stress it caused" and other BS

SVU, PAY HER BILLS and don't let her take any more than is realistically related to the injury

Page 2 of 3