8 Most Famous Celebrity Medical Malpractice Cases: Medical malpractice doesn’t always happen to regular citizens – it can happen to celebrities as well. Sometimes, these medical errors are fixed before worse things come to pass. Other times, the patients are not as lucky. Here are the most famous cases of medical malpractice that shook the celebrity world.
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Julie Andrews
Julie Andrews is quite famous for the role that she got in Mary Poppins, as well as her marvelous voice as a soprano. In 1997, Julie underwent surgery to remove some nodules sitting in her throat. During the surgery, her vocal cords sustained damage, causing her to lose her voice. She could talk, but she could no longer sing. She obtained a personal injury settlement from her lawyer, although the sum that she received was not disclosed.
Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol was a big name in the celebrity world, but he also had a fear of hospitals, saying that “he would die in one.” His premonition turned out to be true. In 1987, he came in for a routine hernia and gallstone surgery, which saw several complications. He died from the surgery, which caused his estate to file a lawsuit. It was then discovered that his early death was caused by negligent care.
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Minogue was diagnosed with breast cancer, something that was widely presented in the media. After undergoing treatment, it was declared that she was cancer-free and was given the clear to go on a very intensive 57-concert tour. Midway through the tour, she found out that she was misdiagnosed and that the cancer wasn’t actually gone. She sued for medical malpractice after she found a lump in her breasts only several weeks later.
Ed McMahon
Ed McMahon had a long-standing presence as a sidekick on the Tonight’s Show. However, after a fall, he was discharged from the Cedar Sinai Hospital, without the doctors noticing that he had a broken neck. Not only did this compromise his neck, but it also affected his ability to work.
McMahon was advised by a medical malpractice attorney New Jersey, as he had one of his residencies there, to sue for medical malpractice – which he did. Other attorneys that knew of his case came with the same advice.
Dana Carvey
In the 90s, Dana Carvey was quite a successful actor and comedian. However, when he went through heart surgery in 1998, he was informed that the doctor who performed the surgery had bypassed the wrong artery. Carvey sued for medical malpractice and won the case, winning $7.5 million as a settlement.
Carvey said that this lawsuit was more about accountability, to prevent something like this from happening to someone else, which is why all the money was divided to go to several charities.
Joan Rivers
Joan Rivers was a very important public figure, starring in shows such as The Tonight Show or Fashion Police. She was also a jewelry designer, which got her quite a bit of income. In 2014, she was scheduled for a routine endoscopy, which was done in an outpatient setting. Rivers had a heart attack during the procedure, which led to further complications and eventually her death.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services found that the gastroenterologist performed several mistakes during the surgery, which caused Rivers’ family to file a lawsuit.
Hulk Hogan
Commonly referred to as Terry Gene Bollea, Hulk Hogan was a professional wrestler and an actor which had great television fame. While his overall health was good, his lifestyle caused him to experience frequent back pain.
He opted for spinal surgery at the Laser Spine Institute, where he was led to believe that all of his problems would be cured. They weren’t; in fact, Hogan said the surgery and unnecessary procedures only made things worse. He sued the institute not only because they took away his ability to wrestle, but also because they were using Hogan’s fame to promote the institute.
Freddie Prinze
Freddie Prinze was 22 years old and was a comedian and actor. Freddie was also struggling with depression for several years, causing him to commit suicide by gunshot. The family sued the psychiatrist for malpractice, as they overprescribed Quaaludes and then return the gun that Freddie used to commit suicide. The doctor denied the claim, but the family eventually won $1 million in the settlement.
The Bottom Line
Fortune and fame sadly do not protect people from medical malpractice. Mistakes can happen at any time, and we can only hope that we are lucky enough to dodge them.