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LOS ANGELES (CNS) - The Bel-Air Country Club can file a cross- complaint against two third parties as part of its defense in a lawsuit filed by former NBC4 anchor Kelly Lange after she and a male companion suffered injuries while dancing at the club in 2019, a judge has ruled.
Lange, 85, and co-plaintiff James Evering brought the Los Angeles Superior Court complaint in December 2021, alleging negligence and premises liability.
In a hearing Friday, Judge Steven Ellis said the club may file a cross- complaint against the nonprofit organization the Thalians, a charitable organization dedicated to mental health causes founded by Hollywood actors in 1955, and the band of Jimmy Carnelli Music & Entertainment Inc.
Through investigation, Bel-Air Country Club attorneys learned that the Thalians selected and hired the band for the event and was responsible in conjunction with the band to provide the sound system, according to the club's lawyers court papers.
Lange and Evering did not see what Evering tripped over while dancing, but Evering testified in a deposition that he felt a cable-like object and that it caused both plaintiffs to fall to the floor, according to the club's attorneys, who say they now believe the object "most probably was that used and installed" by the Thalians and/or Jimmy Carnelli Music & Entertainment.
"Defendant has shown a reasonable excuse for not filing it earlier as they just recently discovered the facts giving rise to the claims," the judge wrote.
Actress Ruta Lee, now 88, is chairwoman of the board emeritus for the Thalians.
Lange, the first woman to be a nightly news anchor in Los Angeles, and Evering attended a party at the club on Bellagio Road on Dec. 7, 2019.
Electrical cords connected to the speaker were left loose and untaped on the dance floor, the suit alleges. When the floor center became filled with other dancers, Lange and Evering moved to the area where the loose cords were located, according to the complaint.
After Evering tripped, Lange tried to prevent his fall, but she also fell to the floor. She broke one wrist while trying to brace herself during the tumble and also suffered other injuries, the suit states.
Evering fell onto his back and suffered pain that in the ensuing months restricted his range of motion, according to the suit.
Lange started in March 1971 as a weather forecaster on KNBC's weeknight newscasts and was promoted to anchor five years later. She also was a co-host of NBC's coverage of the Tournament of Roses parade and previously worked as a weather and traffic reporter flying in a helicopter under the name Dawn O'Day during KABC-AM's (790) morning news broadcasts.
After co-hosting a talk show, "Women 2 Women," for two years on KCBS- TV with Ann Martin, Lange left broadcasting to write mystery novels.