David Dobrik is reportedly facing more legal trouble related to the infamous excavator accident.
On a recent episode of the H3 Podcast, host Ethan Klein revealed that it seems State Farm General Insurance Company is suing David regarding his ongoing legal battle with his former friend and colleague, Jeff Wittek.
In 2020, Jeff sustained severe injuries while filming a stunt for David’s vlog. In the bit, Jeff swung from a rope attached to an excavator parked in a lake and then crashed. At the time, David was controlling the excavator.
Jeff later sued David for general negligence and intentional tort, seeking over $10 million in damages.
During the episode, Ethan said the H3 Podcast crew found evidence of the new lawsuit after it was posted in the r/h3h3productions subreddit.
The case details were published in October, with State Farm filing a complaint for “Declaratory Relief,” essentially asking to waive the responsibility of covering the expenses relating to the incident.
Ethan explained that David had Homeowner’s insurance and a “Personal Liability Umbrella Policy” with State Farm Insurance.
Through these policies, he had additional coverage against personal claims, such as, “bodily injury” and “defamation of character, libel, or slander.” However, this does not extend to anything business-related.
While the policies were in effect during the excavator incident, State Farm claims they are not obligated to cover the accident, citing “exclusions related to business pursuits and potential workers compensation eligibility.”
Members of the Vlog Squad were not considered direct employees of David, even though many built careers off his videos.
But the fact that they were filming for David’s YouTube channel, which is associated with David Dobrik LLC, certainly blurs the lines between employer and friendship.