A London tarot card reader is seeking £12.7 million from Vue Entertainment after a collapsing cinema seat allegedly left him with lasting injuries and prevented him from developing lucrative businesses. His claim was initially valued at £50,000.

Marcus Hunefalk-Franzen, 60, says the September 2015 accident at Vue’s Islington cinema caused severe whiplash, chronic neck and back pain, and impaired taste, smell and hearing. Vue admits liability for the accident but strongly disputes the amount claimed.

The dispute therefore centres on the consequences of the collapse, rather than responsibility for it: how much of his ill health and claimed financial losses can be attributed to the incident.

Court documents filed on his behalf state: “The claimant sat on a chair to view a film within the auditorium. As he alighted, the chair collapsed in on itself and catapulted the claimant forward into the chair in front.” Bolts intended to anchor the seat to the floor were subsequently found to be entirely missing.

Hunefalk-Franzen, an actor who lives in Camden, was conducting professional tarot readings at Greenwich Market at the time. Representing himself in the proceedings, he argues that chronic pain prevented him from pursuing business plans including an acting school and an online psychic platform.

He claims the digital venture would by now have generated £1.5 million, enabled him to earn £1 million a year and eventually been sold for £3 million when he retired. Those projected earnings underpin his argument for substantial compensation; they are claimed losses, not established business returns.

Vue’s lawyers initially valued the claim at between £8,000 and £12,500. Its defence points to his pre-existing fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome and neck pain dating back to 2008.

At a recent pre-trial hearing at Central London County Court, Judge Alan Saggarson noted that Hunefalk-Franzen faced a “constellation of difficulties” concerning concentration and cognitive ability. The judge refused permission to rely on a revised pain expert’s report after deadlines were missed.

Eleven years after the accident, the claim has still not reached trial. It is scheduled to be heard at the end of 2027, when the disputed medical consequences and valuation remain to be resolved.