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Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Back issues
Courthouse News Service Courthouse News Service

Paxton’s Family Sues Hospital, Surgeon for Wrongful Death

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and the surgeon who treated the actor Bill Paxton before his death last year face a wrongful-death lawsuit from Paxton's family.

(CN) – Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and the surgeon who treated the actor Bill Paxton before his death last year face a wrongful-death lawsuit from Paxton's family.

Known for his roles in movies like Aliens and Twister, Paxton died on Feb. 25, 2017, at the age of 61. The official cause of death was listed as a stroke he suffered from almost two weeks after he underwent heart surgery.

Represented by the firm Greene Broillet and Wheeler, Paxton's family filed suit on Feb. 9 in Los Angeles County Superior Court, claiming that surgeon Ali Khoynezhad employed “a high risk and unconventional surgical approach with which he lacked experience.” The court made the lawsuit available to the press on Tuesday.

The lawsuit also claims that the hospital “misrepresented and/or concealed information relating to the risks of surgery.”

After suffering from complications from the surgery, the lawsuit states that Khoynezhad had left Paxton in the operating room without arranging for continuous care and failed to return to the operating room after being notified of the complications, including excessive bleeding and a damaged right coronary artery.

Paxton was required to have an emergency surgery to repair the coronary artery and died 10 days later.

“Bill Paxton and his family trusted the physicians and staff at this medical facility but instead Cedars-Sinai betrayed their trust,” family attorney Bruce Broillet said in a press release. “The surgeon’s actions resulted in this tragic and preventable death.”

Paxton had suffered from heart problems since childhood when he suffered from rheumatic fever, a disease that is known to cause heart valve disease.

A representative for Cedars-Sinai was not immediately available for comment, but the hospital did issue an earlier written statement, saying that it was prohibited by law from discussing individual cases.

“But we can share the following: Nothing is more important to Cedars-Sinai than the health and safety of our patients,” the statement said. “These remain our top priorities. One of the reasons for our high quality is that we thoroughly review concerns about any patient’s medical care. This process ensures that we can continue to provide the highest quality care.”

Paxton is survived by his wife of 30 years, Louise Paxton and their two children, James and Lydia.

Categories / Entertainment, Personal Injury

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