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Bill Paxton’s family has reached a settlement in their wrongful death lawsuit.
Although the terms of the settlement are confidential, the filing came exactly one month before the case was scheduled to go to trial. The settlement is still awaiting a judge’s approval.
Paxton’s wife of 30 years, Louise Paxton,filed the lawsuitalong with their kids, James and Lydia, in 2018, blaming surgeon Dr. Ali Khoynezhad and the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for providing the actor with “negligent diagnosis, management, and treatment.”
Attorneys for the Paxtons, Dr. Khoynezhad and Cedars-Sinai did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
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According to the lawsuit, Cedars-Sinai “misrepresented and/or concealed information relating to the risks of surgery and care that would be provided and/or failed to adequately explain the proposed treatment or procedure,” when Paxton had surgery to replace a heart valve and correct an aortic aneurysm.
The family also claimed that the hospital “failed to disclose that [Dr. Khoynezhad] was going to use a high risk and unconventional surgical approach with which he lacked experience and which was, based upon information and belief, beyond the scope of his privileges.”
Additionally, they alleged that Dr. Khoynezhad was “not in the hospital” when Paxton “began suffering the complications” and failed to arrange for “continuous care and coverage” while he was away. The lawsuit alleged that his absence caused “a delay in treatment resulting in damage.”
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“Bill Paxton and his family trusted the physicians and staff at this medical facility but instead Cedars-Sinai betrayed their trust,” the family’s attorney Bruce Broillet said in a statement at the time. “The surgeon’s actions resulted in this tragic and preventable death.”
Steve Heimberg, a fellow attorney for the Paxton family, said in another statement that Dr. Khoynezhad stepped down from his position shortly after Paxton’s death.
Paxton’s family previouslyreached a partial settlementwith General Anesthesia Specialists Partnership for $1 million after the agency was involved in his surgery. Although they denied any direct responsibility, they agreed to the settlement to “reasonably compensate plaintiffs and avoid exposing the defendant to an expensive and time-consuming litigation.”
source: people.com
