Joan Rivers reportedly died after an “unplanned biopsy” was done during a routine throat procedure, and now reports indicate that her family is planning a $100 million lawsuit over her death.
Rivers died Thursday at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, days after she stopped breathing during a throat procedure and was placed in a medically induced coma. A medical source told The New York Daily News that doctors performing vocal cord surgery noticed something, prompting one of the comedian’s doctors to perform an unplanned biopsy. The clinic reportedly agreed to let the doctor use their instruments.
“He asked and they let him,” the source said. “A huge no-no.”
The source said that the procedure was inappropriate for the facility where the vocal cord surgery was taking place.
“A biopsy like that should only be done in a hospital setting,” the source added. “If she had been in a hospital when it happened, she might have been okay.”
The Globe is reporting that the family of Joan Rivers is now planning a $100 million lawsuit against the clinic, claiming malpractice.
The size of the lawsuit may be unusually large , but experts say Rivers still had some great earning power remaining, even at 81.
“Normally an 81-year-old widow with grown children is not expected to be working,” said lawyer Edward Steinberg. “However, she was still a very big earner and in otherwise good health. There could be millions at stake.”
There is still work to do, former New York City Chief Medical Examiner Michael Baden noted. The coroner’s report will show if Rivers died from a pre-existing heart condition or whether an improper anesthetic could have been at fault.
The New York State Department of Health had announced a general review of Yorkville Endoscopy, and the New York City police department is reportedly conducting a criminal investigation into the death, as well.
The family of Joan Rivers has not yet announced whether they intend to file a lawsuit against the clinic where she died.
[Image Via stereoboard.com]
