Michaels has filed a lawsuit against Tony Award Productions, CBS and others ... blaming producers for not instructing him on how to safely exit the stage after his performance was over ... because while he tried to exit, he was "smacked" in the face by a piece of the set.
In the suit, filed today in L.A. County Superior Court, Michaels claims he had to be hospitalized for a broken nose and a cut lip.
Six months after the awards, Bret nearly died from a subarachnoid brain hemorrhage -- and the rocker insists it was NO coincidence.
In his suit, Michaels claims, "One of the most common causes of this type of hemorrhage is head trauma -- exactly like the one Michaels suffered at the hands of the Tony Awards."
Michaels notes, "Through his sheer will to live, to see his children grow up, [he] was able to survive this trauma."Bret says producers have "failed and refused" to remedy the situation ... and even blamed him for the mishap at the Tony Awards, claiming he "missed his mark."
Michaels is suing for unspecified damages. A rep for the Tonys had no comment.