LOS ANGELES – Bret Michaels’ lawsuit over an accident at the 2009 Tony Awards that the singer claims nearly killed him should be heard in New York where the accident happened, a federal judge in Los Angeles has ruled.

It makes more sense for the case—which stems from Michaels being hit in the head by a set piece after performing at Radio City Music Hall—to be handled by a federal court in Manhattan, U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee wrote in a ruling Tuesday.