Nearly one year after a frightening fall from the Miss Universe stage changed the course of her life, former Miss Universe Jamaica Dr. Gabrielle Henry is taking legal action.
Henry has filed a lawsuit against the Miss Universe Organization and two related companies, JKN Legacy Inc. and Legacy Holding Group USA, alleging negligence and unsafe stage conditions contributed to the November 2025 accident that left her with serious injuries. The lawsuit was filed Monday, Sept. 21, in Delaware Superior Court, according to PEOPLE.
© Gabrielle HenryThe complaint brings five claims, including negligence, premises liability, negligent hiring, retention and supervision, and negligent and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
The filing marks a major development in a story that began during the 74th Miss Universe competition in Thailand and continued through months of hospitalization, rehabilitation and Henry's gradual return to public life.
What Gabrielle Henry's Miss Universe Lawsuit Alleges
Henry was representing Jamaica during the Miss Universe preliminary competition on Nov. 19, 2025, when she suffered the fall.
© Miss UniverseAccording to the lawsuit, Henry was following rehearsed choreography when she fell approximately five feet through what the complaint describes as an “unmarked and uncovered opening in the stage.” The opening allegedly contained lighting equipment and concrete.
The lawsuit also alleges that intense lighting directed toward Henry affected her ability to see the stage clearly as she performed her walk.
Henry claims she lost consciousness after the fall and suffered a traumatic brain injury that included an acute subarachnoid hemorrhage, frontal lobe hemorrhagic contusion and subdural hemorrhage. According to the complaint, she was hospitalized from Nov. 19 until Dec. 10, 2025.
© Miss UniverseThe seriousness of Henry's injuries had previously been acknowledged publicly. In a Dec. 8, 2025 joint statement from Henry's family and the Miss Universe Organization, the parties said she suffered “an intracranial hemorrhage with loss of consciousness, a fracture, facial lacerations and other significant injuries.” The statement said Henry had been admitted to intensive care in Bangkok and required constant neurological monitoring.
Gabrielle Henry Says the Fall Changed Her Medical Career
Henry's lawsuit alleges that the consequences extended beyond the pageant. A doctor and ophthalmologist, Henry was pursuing her medical career before the accident. The complaint says her injuries left her unable to resume her medical residency at the time and that she has continued to experience neurological and cognitive symptoms requiring medical care, rehabilitation and follow-up treatment.
The lawsuit also seeks damages related to alleged losses in earning capacity and professional opportunities connected with her medical career.
© Miss UniverseHenry describes the accident in the complaint as the “most traumatic moment” of her life. She also alleges that the extensive attention surrounding the fall contributed to ongoing emotional distress separate from the effects of her physical injuries.
In a separate first-person account published by PEOPLE in September 2026, Henry described how dramatically the accident affected her life. “During a preliminary challenge at last year’s Miss Universe competition in Thailand, I fell into an unguarded hole,” she wrote, adding that she sustained a traumatic brain injury that “permanently altered the course of my life.”
Lawsuit Raises Questions About Miss Universe Stage Safety
One of the most significant allegations in the lawsuit concerns what organizers allegedly knew about conditions on the stage. Henry claims other contestants had raised concerns about the lighting and staging conditions before her accident. The lawsuit further alleges that after Henry fell, modifications were made to the stage, including the addition of bright white lighting to make the stage edge more visible.
The complaint alleges the defendants acted in “conscious disregard” of contestant safety. Those allegations have not been proven in court.
© Miss UniverseHenry's complaint also discusses Miss Grand International, or MGI, which was retained as a local host and event producer. According to the lawsuit, MGI handled staging, lighting and safety work, while Henry alleges the Miss Universe Organization retained and exercised control over those areas.
Miss Universe Organization Responds to Gabrielle Henry Lawsuit
The Miss Universe Organization disputed aspects of the allegations and said in a statement to PEOPLE that, as of the publication of its response, it had not been formally served with the lawsuit. “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,” the organization said. “We are therefore not in a position to comment on claims we have not seen.”
The organization also said responsibility for producing the 74th Miss Universe competition in Thailand, including the venue, stage and on-site safety, rested with host and production entities MGI and Miss Universe Thailand under the direction of Nawat Itsaragrisil.
© AFP via Getty ImagesMiss Universe further said it stepped in to pay Henry's hospital expenses and later covered specialized treatment in Jamaica. It said it had not received a request for additional medical expenses and had offered Henry a position as a goodwill ambassador.
What Miss Grand International Previously Said About the Fall
Questions over what caused Henry's fall emerged almost immediately after the accident. A Miss Grand International representative previously told PEOPLE that the incident occurred “primarily because she missed her blocking” and said Henry may not have been looking at the runway while walking. The representative maintained that the runway was wide and clearly marked and called Henry's accident an isolated incident.
© Getty ImagesHowever, a December 2025 joint statement from the Miss Universe Organization and Henry's family explicitly rejected reports suggesting Henry was responsible. “Certain media reports suggesting that Dr. Henry contributed in any way to the incident are entirely inaccurate,” the statement said. It added that the organization had never blamed Henry and said suggestions to the contrary were “unfounded and do not reflect the facts.”
That earlier statement is now referenced in Henry's lawsuit.
© Gabrielle HenryGabrielle Henry's Long Recovery After Miss Universe Fall
Henry largely remained out of the public eye during the months following the accident. In May 2026, she made a public appearance at the Integrity Children's Fund's Dinner en Rouge Gala in Atlanta while still recovering. “Despite the prolonged recovery I have been going through, I could not miss being present to support such a remarkable event,” Henry said at the time.
She later returned to the Miss Universe Jamaica stage in August to crown her successor, marking another major milestone after spending much of her reign focused on recovery.
Henry has also spoken about the emotional impact of rebuilding her life following the accident. “This season has redefined restoration and renewal for me,” she wrote in a social media post previously reported by HOLA! USA. “It shifted everything.” She added that the experience taught her that “a fall can uncover a depth of strength you did not know you possessed.”
Now, nearly a year after that fall, the legal case shifts attention toward who bears responsibility for the stage conditions and whether appropriate safety measures were in place.
