Rocker BRET MICHAELS is stepping up his legal battle against TV producers behind the 2009 Tony Awards, accusing them of broadcasting his onstage accident just to boost ratings.
The Poison frontman was performing at the Big Apple prizegiving, which honours the best of Broadway, when a large stage prop fell and hit him in the face, leaving him with a broken nose, cut lip and life-threatening head injuries.
On Monday (20Feb12), Michaels filed a $50 million (£31.3 million) lawsuit against award bosses and CBS network executives for neglecting to censor the incident, which caused him much pain and humiliation, according to the New York Post.
An excerpt from the Manhattan federal court filing reads, "(Cbs officials) could have prevented the footage... from airing via the standard seven-second broadcast delay. The defendants took no such measures - presumably because the incident could lead to greater publicity and ratings for the show."
This is the rocker's second lawsuit against Tony Award producers - last year (11) he sought unspecified damages claiming show bosses were ultimately responsible for the brain haemorrhage and mild stroke he suffered after the horrific incident.