Melissa Rivers, daughter of Joan Rivers, sues Manhattan clinic for negligence and malpractice that led to the death of her mother.
In late August 2014, the 81-year-old actress visited Yorkville Endoscopy for a routine endoscopy. However, Rivers stopped breathing while on the operating table and was moved to Mount Sinai Hospital. An inspection on the case revealed negligence on part of the operating doctors that resulted in the death of the actress.
Melissa has now filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit in the state Supreme Court in Manhattan against Yorkville Endoscopy along with three anesthesiologists and two doctors who were involved with her mother's endoscopy.
The lawsuit alleges that the doctors involved with Joan Rivers' surgery were not trained adequately to recognize and act promptly with the complications that Rivers encountered. The doctors failed to detect that Joan Rivers' vital signs were declining while she was being operated.
The lawsuit also alleges that the clinic allowed an unauthorized individual in the operating room. The lawsuit claims that the doctors conducted a procedure that Joan Rivers did not give permission to.
The involved doctors did not detect that Joan Rivers' brain was not getting oxygen and her lungs were unable to expel carbon dioxide that resulted in a cardiac arrest. None of the doctors involved stopped the surgery to revive Rivers. The actress and comedian went into a coma due to the carelessness of the doctors and later died.
Unaware of Rivers' declining medical condition on the operating table, one of the doctors also took out a mobile phone and took a selfie with Rivers.
When Rivers' condition worsened the unauthorized personnel present in the operating room left as she knew she was not authorized to be there. The lawsuit also alleges that the clinic's staff members were not prompt enough in alerting emergency services.
"The level of medical mismanagement, incompetence, disrespect and outrageous behavior is shocking and frankly, almost incomprehensible," says Melissa Rivers, the only child of Joan Rivers.
The lawsuit is another big blow to the clinic after the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services confirmed recently that Yorkville Endoscopy will not be eligible to receive any federal funds for the services provided to Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries from Jan. 31.
