Much of Hollywood and the public at large was shaken in 2017 following Bill Paxton’s death at the age of 61. Paxton died after suffering a stroke that was reportedly brought on by complications stemming from heart surgery. In the aftermath, his family filed multiple lawsuits, one of which was a wrongful death suit against the surgeon and the hospital where the beloved actor received treatment. It would seem that now, however, Paxton’s family has reached a resolution in the legal situation nearly four years after filing suit.
Bill Paxton’s family filed against Dr. Ali Khoynezhad and the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in 2018. In the suit, they accused the medical professional and hospital of giving the deceased star “negligent diagnosis, management, and treatment." It was also alleged that Cedars-Sinai “failed to disclose that [Dr. Khoynezhad] was going to use a high risk and unconventional surgical approach with which he lacked experience.” The suit went on to say that Dr. Khoynezhad was not present at the hospital when Paxton “began suffering complications” and that he did not put plans in place for “continuous care and coverage.”
Now, People reports that the Paxton family reached a settlement in their wrongful death lawsuit, with the notice of settlement having been filed this past Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court. This move occurred just a month before the case was finally set to move to trial. Details on the settlement have not been revealed, and a federal judge has yet to approve it. As of this writing, neither the Paxton’s lawyers or the legal representatives for Dr. Ali Khoynezhad and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center have commented on the matter.
Bill Paxton’s family settled a different lawsuit with the General Anesthesia Specialists Partnership earlier this year. The organization was involved with the actor’s procedure, but it denied any responsibility for his death, saying that it “complied with the standard of care insofar as their involvement in the care and treatment of” the star. Ultimately, GASP settled for $1 million and, as People notes, the company did so in order to “reasonably compensate plaintiffs and avoid exposing the defendant to an expensive and time-consuming litigation.”
Following Bill Paxton’s passing, many of his former collaborators took the time to honor him. James Cameron issued an emotional statement on Paxton, with whom he worked with on iconic films like Terminator, Aliens and Titanic. Clark Gregg also shared a thoughtful tribute to his late Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. co-star, making note of his friendly nature and humility. Paxton’s final TV show, Training Day, also paid tribute in a touching way.
It goes without saying that it took the Paxton family quite a while to resolve these legal situations. Now that they’ve seemingly come to an end, one would think that the family will seek to move on while also remembering their patriarch. Likewise, fans will continue to honor the star’s memory by watching his work for years to come.
