Former Miss Universe Jamaica, Gabrielle Henry, has reportedly taken legal action against the Miss Universe Organisation regarding her horrific onstage fall during her participation in the pageant last November.
It’s understood that the suit was filed on Monday, September 21, in Delaware, and brings up several claims against the defendants, including negligence, premises liability, negligent hiring, retention and supervision, and both negligent and intentional infliction of emotional distress, as first reported by PEOPLE Magazine.
According to reports, Henry noted that the incident occurred during the rehearsed choreography aspect of the competition, on November 19, 2025, when she fell through an “unmarked and uncovered opening in the stage,” containing equipment and concrete. The suit further claimed that the intensity of the light beams directed at her severely impeded her visibility, leading to her unfortunate fall off the stage.
Henry, of course, was immediately forced to withdraw from the pageant and seek urgent medical treatment for sustained injuries to her head and face with the claim noting that she had a “traumatic brain injury with acute subarachnoid hemorrhage, frontal lobe hemorrhagic contusion, and subdural hemorrhage” that required her to be hospitalized from Nov. 19 to Dec. 10, 2025.
The reports further state that Henry’s injuries made her “unable to resume her medical residency” as a practising ophthalmologist in the aftermath and has caused her to continuously suffer “neurological and cognitive symptoms,” which continue to require ongoing care, rehabilitation and follow-ups.
In a statement to PEOPLE, the Miss Universe Organization claims that, “To date, the Organization has not been served with, nor has it received, any lawsuit, claim, demand letter, or subpoena from Ms. Henry or anyone acting on her behalf. We are therefore not in a position to comment on claims we have not seen.”
In the complaint, Henry alleges she was following rehearsed choreography during the preliminary portion of the Miss Universe competition on Nov. 19, 2025, when she fell about five feet through an “unmarked and uncovered opening in the stage,” which contained both lighting equipment and concrete. Henry’s suit also claims that intense lighting facing her during her rehearsed walk impaired her visibility and caused her to fall from the stage.
