A security guard at the Tate Modern is suing the gallery for more than £1 million after he slipped in a puddle and fell down a steep flight of steel steps.
Fiaz-Ur-Rehman Butt, 54, claims he was left “virtually housebound” after the accident in August 2014.
He returned to work but says even seated tasks left him in pain and he was finally forced to quit his job in January 2016.
Mr Butt is suing the trustees of the Tate, which accepts it is to blame for the fall but disputes the level of compensation being sought.
“Our case is that here is a person who before the accident was a hard-working gentleman who worked as a security guard,”
Mr Butt’s lawyer Melanie Neale told Central London county court. “But he now finds himself unable to work, he is looked after by carers and is no longer able to enjoy life.”
Miss Neale said the guard, employed by security firm Wilson James while working at the Tate, “ended up on his bottom” in the fall. She said his injuries meant he now struggles with acute back and bladder problems and chronic pain in his legs which means he rarely leaves home.
Perry Hill, representing the Tate, said a report by a surgeon “could not identify any evidence that Mr Butt had suffered a significant spinal injury”. He added: “His own medical experts pose serious questions about whether his claim has any physical cause.”
Mr Hill said the gallery had left “no stone unturned” in investigating the cause of his disability.
Judge Janet Lambert told a pre-trial hearing that Mr Butt’s “credibility is plainly in issue”, adding that the judge at a full trial to be held later will consider medical opinions to determine the cause of his disability.
She added: “The matters in issue are whether he suffers from a physical or psychiatric injury.”
