Comedian Joan Rivers reportedly died at the age of 81 from brain damage due to lack of oxygen after her throat seized up during surgery, according to ABC2News.
Melissa Rivers has reportedly filed a malpractice lawsuit on Monday against doctors and the clinic where her mother, Joan Rivers, stopped breathing and later died, according to Fox News.
Rivers’ daughter reportedly stated that her mother deserved better, which has led to her decision to go through with the lawsuit.
“What ultimately guided me was my unwavering belief that no family should ever have to go through what my mother, Cooper and I have been through,” Melissa Rivers stated.
She added, “The level of medical mismanagement, incompetency, disrespect and outrageous behavior is shocking and frankly, almost incomprehensible.”
Melissa Rivers reportedly filed the multimillion-dollar lawsuit on Monday against Yorkville Endoscopy in Manhattan, where the iconic comedian underwent surgery on August 28, 2014, according to the NY Daily News.
The lawsuit reportedly stated that doctors mishandled the endoscopy and performed another medical procedure called a laryngoscopy on her vocal cords without consent.
“To put it mildly, we are not just disappointed by the acts and omissions leading to the death of Joan Rivers, but we are outraged by the lack of care and concern for Ms. Rivers on the part of her treating physicians and the endoscopy center where the treatment was rendered,” stated her attorney’s Jeffrey Bloom and Ben Rabinowitz.
A federal investigation, which was ordered by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, found the Yorkville Endoscopy clinic made several errors, including failing to keep proper medication records and snapping cellphone photos of Rivers while she was unconscious.
The Manhattan clinic reportedly failed to get informed consent for every procedure performed and failed to record Rivers’ weight before the administration of sedation medication.