John Ritter's wrongful death trial to begin

[sharon_b]

Come February, a Los Angeles County jury will consider actor John Ritter's 2003 death from a heart condition.

On one side is his widow, actress Amy Yasbeck, and Ritter's four children, who contend in their wrongful-death lawsuit that the actor's life could have been saved – and who collectively seek more than $67 million in damages, because of sitcom star Ritter's potential high earning power.

Already, the family has received more than $14 million in settlements, according to court records, reports the Los Angeles Times.

This includes $9.4 million from Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, Calif., where the Three's Company and 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter star, 54, died of an undetected aortic dissection (a tear in the largest blood vessel).

Defending themselves against the family's claims are two doctors: one who interpreted Ritter's 2001 body scan, and another who tended to the actor on the night he died.

The physicians' lawyers say their clients did nothing wrong. "I really, really believe that for whatever reason, John Ritter's time was up," attorney Stephen C. Fraser, who represents radiologist Matthew Lotysch, tells the Times.

Public Accounting

Yasbeck, Ritter's second wife (they married in 1999, a week after their daughter, Stella, was born), demands a public accounting of what happened to her husband. "You can't treat my kid's dad for something and kill him in the process," she tells the newspaper. "I think the money will show how angry the jury will be about what happened to John and what could happen to them."

Cardiologist Joseph Lee, claims Ritter's family, did not order a chest X-ray of the actor. Such an X-ray, the plaintiffs argue, would have shown Ritter's enlarged aorta, which would have mandated surgery that would have prevented his death.

But, citing Ritter's ominous vital signs, Lee's lawyer said his client saw that time was of the essence and ordered a catheterization for Ritter to remove possible blockages, rather than request more tests.

"I'm comfortable that a reasonable juror would understand that Dr. Lee was between a rock and a hard spot and had to make a judgment call," Lee's attorney, John McCurdy, tells the paper.

Heart Disease Awareness

Ritter met Yasbeck on the set of the 1990 movie comedy Problem Child, and the two began dating in 1994, about a year after Ritter separated from his first wife, Nancy Morgan, with whom he had three children: Jason, Carly and Tyler.

For her part, Yasbeck says that she hopes the public will be made aware of heart disease – despite the fact that her personal life and family bank account are about to be laid bare.

"It's never comfortable, but the idea of the awareness that this brings to the issue trumps that," she tells the Times. "My discomfort is nothing compared to people who are losing their family to aortic dissection. I can be uncomfortable for however long the trial goes. I'm ready."

John Ritter's Wrongful Death Trial to Begin - Crime & Courts, : People.com

[sweetness]

So soon?

[Grimmlok]

Oh whatever, the doctors didn't do anything wrong. Money grubbing whore.

[Sweetie]

Way to carry out a speedy trial.

[Dixie Normos]

The dr.s thought they had the right problem and took steps to correct it, they were wrong...it's sad, but it happens.
If this case is won by the family, millions of dollars will be flushed out of health care and into the fams pocket. I understand they are angry and sad, but hurting thousands of Americans won't bring him back.

[sputnik]

raise awareness, my ass. there are more tasteful ways to do that than a huge lawsuit, but of course they're not as profitable. people need to remember that medicine is not an exact science. there's a lot of messiness and guess work involved and you don't always get it right on the first guess.

[Dixie Normos]

^^yeah, if they really wanted to make sure there were better dr.s out there, they could provide scholarships, so it isn't just rich talentless twits who can become doctors.

[buttmunch]

67 million ? And she's already gotten how much? I'm sure that in hindsight treatment maybe could have been better but I'm also sure the doctors did everything they could. No wonder the medical profession is shit scared to do anything anymore without a signed waiver. Fucking leach.

[Trixie]

Ok, she's already settled with the hospital, so now she's going after the ER doctor and a radiologist who interpreted a body scan two years before he died?

Sounds like she's trying to collect from every pocket she can. It'll be interesting to see what a jury thinks.

[Moongirl]

My aunt, who had a heart valve problem, had what we believe was a heart attack while driving, crashed into a pole, which then apparently caused a tear in her heart. The fact that the EMT's were performing CPR on her was actually causing her to bleed even more internally, but I can't say for sure that was the cause of her death. BUT, how were they to know she had that tear? I can't really blame them, because they were doing their job to the best of their ability. These are things that just happen, and God only knows why.

[lurkur]

She's already received 14 million and is going for more? As much as we'd like it to be, medicine is not a 100% science, and you can't account for every little thing. It's also telling that the 67 million is a figure they calculated based on his potential earning power, so yes, it is about money and not about them thinking the doctors actually did something wrong and want awareness.

What happens now if she becomes ill, and no doctors want to treat her because they think they'll get sued?

[HWBL]

I could live with this if she'd donate that 67 million into
medical research, to prove she's really interested in
improving the diagnostic chances of others who may
suffer from the same condition.
And, as much as I loved John Ritter, he was 54 when
he died doing a TV hit show, but he was never a big
box office hit. Say he'd lived until 90, I still don't think
he'd have made 67 million.

[litupgirl]

Greedy bitch.

I'd like to think I'm worth more than what I'd make at my crappy job. I'd like to think I'm considered priceless to my hubby.

[Bellatheball]

A man who is in his 50s and comes in with chest pain is MUCH more likely to be suffering a heart attack than an aortic dissection. Like they said in medicine (assuming you live in North America or Europe) "If you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras." I do wonder why there was no chest xray as that's pretty standard with chest pain. However, it sounds like the physicians used their best judgement and went with the most likely cause of his pain.

[KrisNine]

This is part of the reason medical cost are through the roof. Doctors pay insane premiums for Malpractice and they pass that cost on to us, the patients.