Melissa Rivers recently announced that her medical malpractice lawsuit against the New York clinic where her mother died during a routine procedure has been settled. Joan Rivers suffered a medical emergency during a procedure to check out a raspy throat, leading to cardiac arrest and unconsciousness. She died at the hospital a week later at the age of 81.
Melissa Rivers was unsparing in her anger against the clinic for what she called “shocking,” “outrageous,” and “incomprehensible” medical mismanagement, incompetency, and disrespect. Among other things, Joan’s doctor and other doctors at the clinic were accused of allowing a cell phone picture to be taken of Joan while she was unconscious on the operating table. Her doctors had been too preoccupied to notice that Joan wasn’t getting sufficient oxygen and needed immediate medical assistance.
The lawsuit named the entire clinic, with all of its doctors listed as defendants. In a heartfelt statement issued on social media, Melissa Rivers expressed her gratitude to her legal team for the prompt resolution of the case, and shared her intention to focus on ensuring higher safety standards in our-patient surgical clinics. “Moving forward,” she said, “my focus will be to ensure that no one ever has to go through what my mother, (son) Cooper and I went through.”
According to her attorney, the exact amount of the settlement is confidential, but her fight continues. “[Melissa] wants to make sure that minimum safety standards that apply to hospitals in New York also apply to outpatient surgical centers,” so that when medical emergencies arise they are adequately staffed, trained, and equipped to handle them.
A year after the death of Joan Rivers, the clinic is still part of an ongoing investigation by the state health department. Other than that, nothing much of consequence has happened to the clinic.
If you have lost a loved one to an egregious doctor error, you may have grounds for a medical malpractice lawsuit. To see if you have a viable case, contact The Law Offices of Dr. Michael M. Wilson M.D., J.D. & Associates to schedule a complimentary initial case evaluation. There are time limits in medical malpractice cases, so do not delay in securing legal representation.
Call a Washington, DC medical malpractice attorney today by calling 202.223.4488.
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Dr. Michael M. Wilson is an attorney and a physician who earned his undergraduate degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his legal and medical degrees from Georgetown University. He has focused in the area of medical malpractice for more than three decades and secured more than $100 million in settlements and verdicts on behalf of clients throughout the country. He is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and New York as well as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia and the U.S. Supreme Court. He is listed in America’s Top 100 High Stakes Litigators.
