More problems have arrived for the Jackass Forever team. Just ahead of the new film's release in theaters, franchise stars Steve-O and Chris Pontius have had a lawsuit filed against them in relation to an apparent jet ski stunt gone awry. Per TMZ, the suit was filed by Michael Vicens-Segura, a man who says he was approached by the Wildboyz stars in 2018 for a stunt involving jet skis they were filming in Puerto Rico.
According to the lawsuit, the planned stunt would have basically been a jet ski version of the "BMX tug-of-war" stunt featured in the original Jackass movie. The idea is that two people are facing opposite directions on their own jet skis in the water, each of them attached to one another with a bungee cord. Both riders would then accelerate to see which of the two would get yanked off of their respective jet ski first.
Through his attorney, John Phillips, Vicens-Segura alleges that he was asked to hold one of the two jet skis steady in the water because of the waves, a request he says he obliged. When Steve-O and Pontius accelerated, Steve-O's bungee cord allegedly snapped and whacked Vicens-Segura hard in the head, resulting in significant injuries. The man says he was flown by helicopter to a hospital for emergency surgery and placed in a medically induced coma to be treated for a fractured skull and brain bleeding.
Vicens-Segura also claims he underwent several more medical procedures, with the injuries drastically affecting his everyday life. In addition to the scars, he says his continued struggles have resulted in him losing his ability to work, as he continues to have trouble thinking straight. Vicens-Segura also says he continues to experience pain, suffering, and agony because of the incident, now over three years later. He's seeking damages from Steve-O, Pontius, and others involved with the incident for more than $12 million.
The Jackass Forever Team Is Already Dealing With Another Lawsuit
Meanwhile, the lawsuit against the Jackass Forever team filed by their former colleague Bam Margera is also moving forward. At one point early on in production, Margera was on board to return in the new Jackass movie and even briefly appears in the final product. However, he was fired for his alleged failure to abide by the conditions of a "wellness agreement." Margera later sued, claiming that his ideas were stolen and that he was taken advantage of while in a vulnerable state because of his mental health struggles.
"While Margera has given Jackass—quite literally—more than two decades worth of his blood, sweat and tears, the defendants have not repaid him in kind," attorney Eric M. George said when the lawsuit was first filed. "Rather, Margera, who has a documented history of mental health issues, including diagnosed bipolar disorder, has been the victim of unconscionable discrimination at the hands of defendants."
On top of everything else, PETA has also called for filmgoers to "stay away" from Jackass Forever as it features stunts involving live animals. At the end of the day, however, controversy is certainly nothing new for Jackass. Jackass Forever will be released in theaters on Feb. 4, 2022.