3 Celebrity Cases of Medical Malpractice

Although celebrities have the wealth and notoriety that most people dream about, their fame and fortune cannot protect them from the effects of medical malpractice. Medical negligence affects people from every socio-economic group. In fact, medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the United States.

While all medical errors do not amount to negligence, here are three celebrity cases of medical malpractice to illustrate the importance of exercising vigilance when it comes to your medical care.

Dana Carvey

In 1998, Dana Carvey underwent a double-bypass surgery to clear blockages from his heart. Two months later, the 42-year-old comedian was back in the hospital for an emergency angioplasty. Why? Because the surgeon from Carvey’s initial surgery operated on the wrong artery.

It took the comedian six months to recover from the second emergency procedure. Later, Carvey sued his doctor for medical malpractice and donated the proceeds from his settlement to charity.

Prince

In 2018 the U.S. Attorney’s Minnesota office settled a federal civil case with Dr. Michael Todd Schulenberg in connection with Prince’s death. Prince died alone in his home from a drug overdose in 2016. In the settlement, the U.S. Attorney’s office reported that, just days before Prince’s death, Dr. Schulenberg prescribed narcotics to Prince’s bodyguard even though he knew the drugs were intended to be used by the singer and that Prince was struggling with addiction.

There are also other outstanding malpractice claims in this case.  Prince’s family has an ongoing civil lawsuit against Schulenberg and other physicians who appear to have known about Prince’s addiction but did not maintain the correct standard of care while treating the singer for his condition.

Dennis Quaid

Twelve days after celebrating the arrival of his healthy twins, Dennis Quaid was back at Cedar Sinai Medical Center because of a life-threatening mistake. Nurses at the hospital gave Quaid’s twins 100 times the dose of anti-clotting medication than they should have administered to the infants to treat a staph infection. The mistake turned the twins’ blood into the consistency of water and caused them to bleed profusely. The newborns suffered from internal bleeding and pain for almost a week before the effects of the medical error began to subside.

If someone you love has been a victim of medical malpractice, let the skilled medical malpractice attorneys and lawyers at Lowenthal & Abrams help. Contact us now for a free consultation.