Bill Paxton's Family Awarded $1 Million For Wrongful Death Suit
By Kay on February 26, 2022 at 5:00 PM EST
The family of late actor Bill Paxton has reached a settlement for $1 million with the company they sued after Paxton passed away from surgery in 2017. The actor appeared in several films and TV series including Twister with Helen Hunt and BigLove on HBO.
Seven Figure Settlement For Bill Paxton’s Family
The settlement was detailed in court docs filed in Los Angeles County by General Anesthesia Specialists named as defendants in the suit. Paxton’s widow, Louise Newbury, and two children, James and Lydia, believe that the anesthesia group that assisted in Paxton’s surgery was liable.
The actor underwent routine heart surgery, two weeks later he passed away. He was 61 at the time of his death. The medical group had denied responsibility at the time and still currently does. Yet, actions speak louder than words and they are out $1 million.
The Settlement Was A ‘Business Decision’
GAS noted in the court docs that they are treating the settlement like a “business decision” and that it is only “contingent on a judge’s sign-off”. Paxton’s death was first reported by TMZ who shared that his cause of death was a stroke, 11 days after undergoing the surgery.
The suit includes Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and the doctor who worked on Paxton as the defendants. The family’s lawyer Bruce Broillet released a statement in 2018 noting the family’s trauma. “Bill Paxton and his family trusted the physicians and staff at this medical facility but instead Cedars-Sinai betrayed their trust.”
He openly stated, “The surgeon’s actions resulted in this tragic and preventable death,” and even went as far as to say, the surgeon dabbled in a “high risk and unconventional surgical approach” ultimately leading to the beloved actor’s death.
This Is Only One Part Of The Lawsuit
General Anesthesia Specialists made it clear in a statement released after the settlement that they want to “avoid exposing the defendant to an expensive and time-consuming litigation.” That being said, Newbury and her children are not quite finished.
The remainder of the trial will resume on Sept. 19 with the family taking on the other defendants; Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and Dr. Ali Khoynezhad, a cardiothoracic surgeon employed by the hospital.
More specifically the family is alleging that the hospital provided Paxton with "negligent diagnosis, management, and treatment," which lead to his death. Fort Worth Star-Telegram obtained docs that state, that hospital “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.”
As for that “high risk and unconventional” procedure, the family and allegedly Paxton himself were not informed that Dr. Khoynezhad was going to perform it.
Bill Paxton’s Doctor Was Not Around
The family also alleges that Dr. Khoynezhad was “not in the hospital” when Paxton was suffering and furthermore, failed to put a doctor in his place to provide “continuous care and coverage” in his absence. This delay was allegedly the key to Paxton's passing.
Broillet stated, “Bill Paxton and his family trusted the physicians and staff at this medical facility but instead Cedars-Sinai betrayed their trust. The surgeon's actions resulted in this tragic and preventable death.”
