Former Survivor Greece contestant Stavros Floros filed a $100 million lawsuit in a Miami-Dade Circuit Court on Thursday against the reality show’s producers after a May 11 boat propeller accident severed his left leg above the knee in the Dominican Republic. According to court documents reported by CBC News, the 22-year-old participant was spearfishing for food off the coast of Bayahibe during production when a tourist boat struck him.
Lawsuit Details and Named Defendants in Miami Court
Floros filed the 61-page civil complaint in Miami-Dade Circuit Court through his legal representation at the firm Lipcon, Margulies & Winkleman, as detailed by Courthouse News Service. The lawsuit names Turkish media production company AcunMedya, its subsidiaries AcunMedya Global and Acun LLC, Turkish businessman Acun Ilicali, and the parent company of Greek broadcaster Skai TV as defendants. Floros is seeking over $100 million in damages, citing claims of negligence, civil conspiracy, and violations of maritime law, according to Courthouse News Service reporting.
The May 11 Spearfishing Accident in the Dominican Republic
The incident occurred on a non-challenge day while contestants were expected to carry out survival activities, according to court documents obtained by CBC News. Floros and fellow contestant Emmanouil Malliaros swam out to spearfish at approximately 7:30 a.m., and the collision occurred between 8:00 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. Malliaros stated in court filings that Floros was swimming within 10 meters of a small inflatable dive marker and within 100 meters of the shoreline when the tourist boat struck him. Malliaros noted that tourist boats frequently traveled close to the shore and that cast members were treated as entertainment without adequate safety protections. Following the impact, passengers on the tour boat pulled Floros aboard, applied a tourniquet, and transported him to a local medical facility before he was transferred to a hospital in Miami for multiple surgeries and a 61-day recovery.
Production Response and Contestant Allegations
Skai TV stated following the incident that it immediately suspended the broadcast of Survivor Greece and offered support for Floros’s treatment and rehabilitation, while maintaining that Turkish production company AcunMedya held sole responsibility for production oversight. Floros alleged in a statement to TheWrap that production failed to establish protective safety vessels despite heavy commercial and tourist boat traffic in the area, stating, “I went onto a reality show and ended up with only one leg at 22 years old, having felt like I was slowly dying.” Floros and the lawsuit’s filings further contend that producers attempted to minimize liability and cover up the accident following the collision.
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