Donny Osmond is facing a lawsuit from a concertgoer who says she suffered a “traumatic retinal injury” after being hit with a giant inflatable lit-up ball at his Las Vegas residency.
In a case filed last week in Nevada, Joanne Julkowski claims she needed eye surgery and suffered severe emotional distress from the 2024 incident at Harrah’s Las Vegas, in which “oversized lighted balls” were dispersed into the crowd.
“Plaintiff was suddenly and forcefully struck in the back of the head by one of the lighted balls that had been thrown or propelled into the crowd,” Julkowski’s lawyers write in the court filing, obtained by Billboard.
The lawsuit says there were “no adequate warnings, instructions, or safety measures communicated to patrons” about the use of the balls during the concert, and that the “darkened lighting” of the show made it hard for Julkowski and other guests to avoid them.
“Plaintiff sustained serious injuries, including a traumatic retinal injury to her right eye with retinal detachment requiring surgical intervention and resulting visual impairment, as well as associated head and neck injuries,” her lawyers write. “Plaintiff has suffered severe emotional distress, including psychological trauma, fear, anxiety, PTSD, and loss of enjoyment of life.”
In technical terms, the lawsuit accuses Osmond, his production company Donny Osmond Concerts and Harrah’s Las Vegas of legal negligence – meaning they had an obligation to keep her safe during the concert and failed to do so. Among other things, she says they failed to “implement reasonable safety measures” and concealed the “the known risks associated with repeatedly throwing oversized lighted inflatable balls into the seated crowd.”
The lawsuit is seeking an unspecified amount of punitive damages, as well as $15,000 for medical expenses and “pain and suffering.” Representatives for both Harrah’s and Osmond could not immediately be reached for comment.
Osmond, a former member of the 1970s family music group The Osmonds, staged an 11-year Las Vegas residency with his sister Marie Osmond at the Flamingo Las Vegas until 2019. In 2021, he kicked off his current solo stint at Harrah’s, performing nightly from Tuesday through Saturday.
