More than a decade after she was injured in a fall from a platform on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera while singing in a production of "Faust," the veteran mezzo-soprano Wendy White has settled her lawsuit against the company.
Ms. White, who says she suffered nerve and muscle damage that prevented her from singing professionally after the accident in 2011, had been expected to return to court this month. But she recently reached a deal with the Met and a scheduled trial was called off. Neither side disclosed details.
"Under the terms of the confidential agreement we're not permitted to comment," the Met said in a statement. A lawyer for Ms. White declined to comment.
The settlement brings to an end one of the longest-running legal disputes in the Met's 141-year history. The case dragged on amid rounds of legal filings and appeals -- and efforts by New York State lawmakers to help Ms. White. She was injured during the Dec. 17, 2011, performance of Gounod's opera about selling one's soul to the devil while singing the role of Marthe.
Ms. White was walking from a backstage staircase to an elevated platform onstage when a piece of scenery broke and the platform collapsed. She fell eight feet. She did not break any bones, but was taken to the hospital for injuries.
The Met said at the time that her injuries did not initially appear to be serious. But Ms. White, who sang more than 500 performances at the Met after making her debut as Flora in Verdi's "La Traviata" in 1989, never appeared on its stage again.
She sued the Met in 2013, accusing the company of negligence and seeking compensation for medical care, loss of wages, pain and suffering. Her lawyers said at the time that her injuries made it difficult for her to sustain notes, and that she had problems standing for long periods.
Much of the legal case hinged on the question of whether she was an employee or an independent contractor at the Met. Under New York State law, employees injured on the job are covered by workers' compensation insurance and are not permitted to sue their employers.
Ms. White argued that she was an independent contractor and an employee of her own Wendy White Inc. The company said she was a "special employee" of the company.
In 2015, a New York State Supreme Court judge sided with Ms. White, saying the Met "has not presented sufficient evidence to prove that the plaintiff was an employee of the Met at the time of the accident." A judge later rejected the Met's appeal.
In 2017, New York lawmakers entered the fray, passing a bill, signed by the governor, that declared that Ms. White was not an employee of the Met and could sue the company. The bill, sponsored by the former New York State Senator John A. DeFrancisco, was meant to "remedy an unfair interpretation of law for a particular performer," according to a memo accompanying it.
The Met conceded liability, and a trial was set to determine damages. But the trial was repeatedly delayed. Both sides had been preparing to go to trial this month, vetting witnesses and submitting evidence, until they reached the settlement.
While onstage accidents are rare, those at the Met that have occurred in the midst of performances have typically drawn attention.
In 1990, for example, the soprano Hildegard Behrens was hit on the head by a foam-rubber beam while performing in Wagner's "Götterdämmerung."
In 2018, the tenor Gary Lehman was singing as Tristan in Act III of Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde" when a pallet he was lying on broke loose and he slid down the inclined stage toward the orchestra pit. He was not seriously injured and managed to finish the performance.
Peter Gelb, the Met's general manager, said after the 2018 incident that occasional troubles were to be expected in the fast-paced world of opera.
"There are risks in any production, but certainly what happened was a fluke," he said. "When you consider that the Met is a repertory theater, with so many different performances, it's remarkable how few mishaps occur."
In Ms. White's case, she had been walking behind the bass René Pape, who was singing the role of Méphistophélès. Audience members heard a clattering sound before Ms. White disappeared from view, and Mr. Pape called for the curtain. The Met has not commented on the matter, saying only in 2011 that the platform collapsed because a hinge connecting the platform to the stairway broke.
Ms. White, who won the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in 1978, at 25, and sang in opera houses around the world, has retreated from public view since the accident.
Sean Piccoli contributed reporting. Kitty Bennett contributed research.