Founding INXS guitarist Tim Farriss has lost a lawsuit he brought against the owners and operators of a boat he chartered in January 2015 on which he severed a finger on his left hand when it became caught in a chain as he attempted to drop the craft’s anchor.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that a six-day hearing was held in front of the Australian state of New South Wales’ Supreme Court this past August and September, during which the 64-year-old rocker’s legal team argued that the owners of the Omega Clipper and a boat charter company were liable for damages of 622,000 Australian dollars, or about $434,000.
They claimed that Farriss hadn’t received sufficient instructions on how to operate the anchor, that the equipment should have been in better working order, and that there was inadequate signage warning of potential risks.
Farriss’ lawyer noted that although the musician’s finger was reattached surgically, it “is in a state now where he cannot play guitar.” His attorney also noted that since the accident, Tim has been “unsurprisingly depressed” because he isn’t able to compose music as he once did, or work on a farm that he’d owned that’s been subsequently sold.
However, the judge found inconsistencies in Farriss’ explanation of how the accident occurred, and deemed that there was insufficient proof that the gear wasn’t in proper working order.
Farriss was ordered to pay the defendants’ legal costs. A member of his council said the musician was “very disappointed” with the ruling and was considering his options regarding further legal action.
INXS has been inactive since 2012, when they announced their retirement from touring.
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