Bill Paxton’s Family Slaps Cedars-Sinai Medical Center With Wrongful Death Suit
A year after Bill Paxton's death, his family has dragged the surgeon and the hospital that treated him to court with a wrongful death lawsuit.
Paxton, 61, died in February last year due to a stroke he suffered less than two weeks after undergoing heart surgery to treat an aortic aneurysm, which is essentially the enlargement of the aorta, the body's main artery that carries oxygen-rich blood to the heart.
Wrongful Death Lawsuit
The Twister and Apollo 13 actor's wife, children, and his estate filed the suit in a Los Angeles Superior Court last week against Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and cardiovascular surgeon Ali Khoynezhad, alleging negligence on their part.
The lawsuit claims that Khoynezhad misrepresented the risks of the surgery and failed to reveal the "unconventional" nature of the procedure that was not within the scope of the doctor's experience and privileges.
The complaint notes that Khoynezhad deliberately performed the "unnecessary" heart surgery on Paxton and the surgeon, the hospital, as well as other staff members "acted negligently and/or recklessly and provided harmful and/or offensive management and treatment of (Paxton) thereby causing his death."
Khoynezhad has also been accused of not being present in the operation theater when Paxton started experiencing complications, because of which he received delayed treatment. This caused additional damage to the late actor's heart.
This required Paxton to undergo another emergency surgery to fix the damage, but his condition worsened over the course of the next 10 days until the actor eventually died of a stroke.
The complaint states that Paxton and his family members put their trust in the doctors and staff members at Cedars-Sinai, but the medical facility betrayed their trust.
In a press release, which was issued along with the suit, attorney Steve Heimberg also revealed that Khoynezhad left Cedars-Sinai Medical Center shortly after Paxton's unexpected passing.
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Releases Statement
Shortly after the complaint was filed, the hospital released a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter.
In the statement, the hospital said that according to state and federal laws, they are not permitted to share details about patients without authorization in writing but noted that the health and safety of its patients is their utmost priority.
"One of the reasons for our high quality is that we thoroughly review concerns about any patient's medical car," the statement continues. "This process ensures that we can continue to provide the highest quality care."
