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Melissa Rivers Settles Malpractice Lawsuit Filed After Mother Joan Rivers’ Unexpected Death
Melissa Rivers can finally be at peace with the tragic circumstances surrounding her mother's death.
Following Joan Rivers' passing, Melissa filed a malpractice lawsuit against Yorkville Endoscopy, the NYC clinic where Joan underwent her fatal throat surgery in September 2014. After 16 months of deliberation, Melissa finally reached a settlement with Yorkville earlier this week.
Joan and Melissa in 2013.
“In accepting this settlement, I am able to put the legal aspects of my mother’s death behind me and ensure that those culpable for her death have accepted responsibility for their actions quickly and without equivocation,” Melissa, 48, said in a statement, according to Us Weekly.
“Moving forward, my focus will be to ensure that no one ever has to go through what my mother, [my son], Cooper, and I went through and I will work towards ensuring higher safety standards in out-patient surgical clinics. I want to express my personal gratitude to my legal team for their wise counsel and prompt resolution of this case," the Fashion Police star added.
Joan, Melissa and Cooper in 2013.
Joan stopped breathing while undergoing a routine surgery on her vocal cords at Yorkville in 2014. The late comedienne was then rushed to a nearby hospital and placed in a medically induced coma following the procedure. One week later, Joan sadly died at age 81 on Sept. 4.
"[While] no amount of money will compensate Melissa and her son, Cooper, for their loss, [they hope this case will] ensure that appropriate safeguards and higher safety standards are put into effect," Melissa’s lawyers, Jeffrey Bloom and Ben Rubinowitz, said regarding the case settlement in a statement released on Thursday, May 12.
