Nearly a year after a fall from the Miss Universe stage changed the course of her life, former Miss Universe Jamaica Dr. Gabrielle Henry is taking legal action. On Sept. 21, she filed a lawsuit in Delaware Superior Court against the Miss Universe Organization, JKN Legacy Inc. and Legacy Holding Group USA. The complaint brings five claims, including negligence, premises liability, negligent hiring, retention and supervision, and negligent and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
The fall took place on Nov. 19, 2025, during the preliminary evening gown competition in Bangkok, Thailand. Footage of Henry, then 28 and wearing an orange gown, tumbling off the edge of the stage spread quickly online, and she was carried out on a stretcher. According to her lawsuit, she was following rehearsed choreography when she fell roughly five feet through an “unmarked and uncovered opening in the stage” that allegedly contained lighting equipment and concrete. She also claims that intense lighting directed at her made it hard to see the edge of the platform.
Henry claims other contestants had raised concerns about the lighting and staging before her fall, and that bright white lights were added along the stage edges afterwards. Her complaint describes the accident as the most traumatic moment of her life, and says the intense public attention that followed added to her emotional distress, separate from her physical injuries.
A joint statement from Henry’s family and the Miss Universe Organization on Dec. 8, 2025 confirmed she suffered an intracranial hemorrhage with loss of consciousness, a fracture and facial lacerations, among other injuries. The lawsuit says she was hospitalised in Bangkok from Nov. 19 to Dec. 10 and continues to experience neurological and cognitive symptoms that require care and rehabilitation. Henry, an ophthalmologist, says the injuries prevented her from resuming her medical residency. She is seeking damages for medical treatment, lost earning capacity and lost professional opportunities, as well as emotional distress.
Meanwhile, the Miss Universe Organization told PEOPLE it had not received or been formally served with the lawsuit and could not comment on allegations it had not seen. It has previously said that the local host and production entities were responsible for the venue, stage and on-site safety at the 2025 competition. The organization also says it paid Henry’s hospital expenses after the accident and later covered specialised treatment in Jamaica. The claims in the complaint are allegations and have not been tested in court.
