Former “Knight” Sues Dinner Theater for Workers’ Comp Claims

A former employee performing as a jousting “knight” at a Medieval Times dinner theater in Illinois has filed a federal class-action lawsuit alleging he was discriminated against for filing and receiving workers’ compensation benefits.

Garrett Bonham, 29, seeks more than $75,000 in a lawsuit filed last week for injuries sustained in his ten years of employment as a performing knight at the Schaumburg, Ill. Medieval Times, according to the Chicago Tribune. Although filed as a class-action lawsuit on behalf of other former employees, the suit has yet to be certified.

A separate suit filed last year by another “knight,” James Killis, contends he was fired for filing workers’ compensation claims after six years as a performer. Killis claims the company offered him $10,000 in lieu of compensation claims, and when he refused to accept it, he was fired.

Both plaintiffs allege that Medieval Times managers circulated a memo in April 2003 indicating the company’s concern with the increasing cost of workers’ compensation claims. They also allege that managers threated employees with firing if they filed such claims. Both plaintiffs said they received workers’ compensation settlements for previous injuries.

When performing as knights, the plaintiffs wore armor costumes of cotton and polyester and used real swords and lances in their jousting competitions. In their lawsuits, they allege they were “required to engage in dangerous activities such as physical battles, jousting matches, and riding horses in an enclosed space at full gallop speeds of up to 35 miles per hour.”

Medieval Times operates eight dinner theaters throughout the U.S. and Canada.