Randall Miller

In 2014, on the first day of production of Midnight Rider, camera assistant Sarah Jones was killed during the filming of a scene.[28] The film was never completed. A police investigation in the town of Jesup, Georgia concluded that Miller and crew were trespassing on an operating railway line and that the train was unscheduled.[29] Charges for criminal trespassing and involuntary manslaughter were eventually brought against Miller, his wife Jody Savin (Producer), Jay Sedrish (Producer/UPM), and Hillary Schwartz (1st Assistant Director) for Jones' death.[30][31]

On March 9, 2015, Miller agreed to a plea deal in exchange for having charges dropped against his wife. He was sentenced to ten years, the first two to be served in jail followed by probation, along with a $20,000 fine and 360 hours of community service. Sedrish and Schwartz were sentenced to 10 years probation with no jail time, and ordered to pay fines. The terms of Miller's probation stipulated that he would be prohibited from serving as director, first assistant director or supervisor with responsibility for safety on any film production until his sentence was completed. Sedrish and Schwartz's sentences contained similar provisions.[32][33][34][35] Miller's conviction marked the first time a director was sent to prison for the death of a cast or crew member.[3]

Miller was released from jail on March 23, 2016 after serving slightly more than one year, due to a two-for-one deal made during negotiations for the original plea agreement with Georgia Assistant District Attorney John Johnson, requiring the court to revise the original sentence as it was deemed improper. Sarah Jones' father Richard Jones said in his statement to the court, "When [Sarah’s mother] Elizabeth and I agreed to this plea, it was our understanding that he would be serving two years in jail. If had we understood that it would have been one year, we would not have agreed," and "I want to be clear that we don’t want to inflict — we don’t mean to inflict more pain to Mr. Miller’s family. We understand that … can imagine it’s been quite a lot of pain for their family, but this is, in our view, about a bigger purpose. It’s about making the film industry a better, safer place. And in order to do so, we feel very strongly that this is an important element that Mr. Miller be held fully accountable for what he did."[2]

In July 2017, Sarah Jones' family were awarded $11.2 million in civil damages. As reported in the Los Angeles Times, "the jury found that CSX (the train's operator) was primarily liable for the accident and should pay 35% of the total judgment ... Miller was found responsible for 28% of the amount of the latest ruling. Rayonier Performance Fibers, owners of the land where the accident occurred, are responsible for 18% and the rest of the liability is divided between individual members of the film's production company."[36]

In 2019 Miller directed the movie Higher Grounds in Serbia, London, and Colombia while on probation. The terms of his probation prevented him working as a "director, first assistant director or supervisor with responsibility for safety in any film production".[37][38][39] After being made aware early 2020, the Jones family alerted Georgia's DA office that Miller was directing, a probation violation. Georgia Assistant District Attorney John Johnson said "Randall Miller has violated the terms of his probation, as a director, he’s in violation."[37] before requesting an arrest warrant be issued.[38][40] Attorney Mike Smith previously stated to the film crew of Higher Grounds that Miller was able to direct as long as he did not oversee safety, although ADA Johnson noted that Smith likely has a conflict of interest as he is also the movie's Executive Producer.[37][39] The Jones family also called for the Directors Guild of America to expel Miller after backlash that the Guild had greenlit the production and still lists Miller as a member.[39]