NIGHTMARE

Cirque du Soleil Acrobat Files $16M Lawsuit Over Horrific Bone-Breaking Fall

The incident involving a Russian performer occurred in Portland in 2024.

A Cirque du Soleil aerial acrobat is suing the world-famous circus group following a horrific fall that resulted in her breaking 11 bones. Russian performer Mariia Konfektova filed a $16.75 million lawsuit, claiming Cirque du Soleil failed to provide safety mats or nets while she performed a stunt in Portland, Oregon, in August 2024. Konfektova fell 15 feet during one of the circus’s Kooza performances, leaving her with multiple broken bones, a concussion, double vision, and fractures to her lower back, wrist, and skull. Video of the incident shows Konfektova falling to the ground after slipping from a hoop that was circling the stage several feet in the air. Konfektova claims in the lawsuit that she had raised safety concerns to Cirque du Soleil before the incident, while noting at least three people have died and more than a dozen have been injured while performing for the traveling company. Cirque du Soleil was fined $8,070 for safety violations by Oregon’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Konfektova has also set up a GoFundMe to raise money for her recovery from the “life-changing accident.” The GoFundMe has raised more than $3,400 so far.