Melissa Rivers has filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against the clinic where her mother Joan Rivers underwent the surgery that led to her death. The 47-year-old is suing the Yorkville Endoscopy Center in Manhattan, and the doctors who treated Joan during a procedure on her throat in August of last year. She said the decision was one of the "most difficult" she has ever had to make.
© Photo: Getty ImagesMelissa Rivers is suing the New York clinic where Joan Rivers underwent surgery
Joan stopped breathing during surgery on her vocal chords while at the centre, and passed away a week later. She was 81 years old. "Filing this lawsuit was one of the most difficult decisions I've ever had to make," Melissa said in a statement. "What ultimately guided me was my unwavering belief that no family should ever have to go through what my mother, (my son) Cooper and I have been through. "The level of medical mismanagement, incompetency, disrespect and outrageous behaviour is shocking and frankly, almost incomprehensible.
© Photo: Getty ImagesMelissa: "Not only did my mother deserve better, every patient deserves better"
"Not only did my mother deserve better, every patient deserves better," she added. "It is my goal to make sure that this king of horrific medical treatment never happens to anyone again." In November, the New York State Department of Health found that mistakes made by Joan's personal doctors and staff at the clinic caused her irreversible brain damage. According to the department's report, "The physicians in charge of the patient failed to identify deteriorating vital signs and provide timely intervention during the procedure."
