Prince's next of kin is demanding justice for the unfortunate and unexpected death of the music icon two years ago.
A few days after local prosecutors from Minnesota had announced that no one will be charged for the accidental opioid overdose of the late musician, the family of Prince, whose full name is Prince Rogers Nelson, filed charges against a hospital in Illinois that had treated him a week before he was found unconscious in his home in Paisley Park.
Seeking Justice
To recall, following a live performance in Atlanta, Prince's private plane made an emergency landing in Illinois after the "Purple Rain" singer had an opioid overdose. He was immediately taken to a nearby hospital where he was administered with Narcan, a medication used to reverse the effects of the drug. The American performer was given two shots.
The suit, filed on Monday, April 23, accuses the Trinity Medical Hospital and its parent companies of giving the late singer improper medical care on April 15, 2016. The suit also names Nicole F. Mancha, the doctor who attended to Prince while in the Illinois hospital, and an unidentified pharmacist and pharmacy employees who were consulted with regard to caring for the celebrity patient.
Prince's family, under the name of their trustee, Michael A. Zimmer, claims that the death of the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer in 2016 was a "direct and proximate cause" of the hospital's failure to diagnose and treat the overdose. The suit also claims that the hospital also failed to provide proper counseling, The New York Times reported.
Prince's Family Also Blames Walgreens
In addition, Prince's family is also blaming Walgreens and its employees for providing narcotic prescription medications to the singer without conducting proper utilization review. Neither the hospital nor Walgreens has issued a statement regarding the lawsuit.
The investigators who were handling the case failed to identify where the singer got his supply of counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl. Michael Todd Schulenberg, who prescribed Prince an opioid painkiller, has agreed to pay $30,000 to settle the federal civil violation filed against him earlier this month.
"We will have much to say when the time is right," said John Goetz, the lawyer for Prince's family, in a statement. "What happened to Prince is happening to families across America. Prince's family wishes, through its investigation, to shed additional light on what happened to Prince. At the same time, further light on the opiate epidemic will hopefully help the fight to save lives. If Prince's death helps save lives, then all was not lost."
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