Bill Paxton's Family To Receive $1M In Wrongful Death Suit

(FILES) This file photo taken on September 23, 2012 shows actor Bill Paxton arriving for the 64th annual Prime Time Emmy Awards at the Nokia Theatre at LA Live in Los Angeles, California. Hollywood actor Bill Paxton, best known for his roles in such blockbusters as “Apollo 13” and “Titanic,” has died at the age of 61, a family representative said February 26, 2017. The versatile Texas-born actor was a familiar face on US movie screens, with a string of memorable credits to his name from a career spanning several decades.”It is with heavy hearts we share the news that Bill Paxton has passed away due to complications from surgery,” said a statement from a family representative. PHOTO: ROBYN BECK / AFP

American actor Bill Paxton’s family will receive $1million in a partial settlement in the wrongful death/negligence suit filed following the actor’s death in 2017 against an anesthesiologist medical group.

Court documents submitted to the Los Angeles Superior Courton Wednesday revealed that attorneys for co-defendants General Anesthesia Specialists Partnership are seeking approval of a settlement of $1 million between Paxton’s family and the company.

The agency was involved in Paxton’s heart surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles less than two weeks before his death on February 25, 2017, at the age of 61.

Despite denying direct responsibility in Paxton’s death, documents showed that settlement was intended to reach an agreement that would “reasonably compensate plaintiffs and avoid exposing defendant to an expensive and time-consuming litigation.”

The filing also revealed that the settlement was contingent on the court’s findings and made in good faith.

Meanwhile, the remainder of the 2018 lawsuit filed by Paxton’s widow Louise Paxton and their children, James and Lydia Paxton, is scheduled for September 19.

Other defendants named in the suit include Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and Dr Ali Khoynezhad, a cardiothoracic surgeon employed by Cedars-Sinai who the Paxton family alleges provided the actor with “negligent diagnosis, management, and treatment,” leading to the complications that resulted in his death.

In court documents first obtained by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the family claims 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.”

The family also claims 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.”

They allege that Dr Khoynezhad was “not in the hospital” when Paxton “began suffering the complications” and failed to arrange for “continuous care and coverage” for the actor while he was away. This, the lawsuit alleges, caused “a delay in treatment resulting in damage.”