Last week, we blogged about the malpractice suit John Ritter’s family filed in California. Well, the medical malpractice suit has reached the court. Ritter’s family is seeking $67 million from the two doctors they claim are responsible for Ritter’s death in September 2003.
They are also seeking damages of $14 million from the hospital, Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, and several other medical personnel. Why? Because this is the amount the family determined Ritter would have made had he not suffered an aortic tear. According to family attorney, Michael Plonsker, ABC and Touchstone Studio executives will testify that Ritter’s show, Eight Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter, could have run for several more seasons and made millions more dollars. Of course, that’s all speculation.
However, this certainly raises an interesting point. When it comes to damages, just how much are families willing to accept? How much are our loved ones worth? Granted – the average person probably won’t earn as much as John Ritter might have earned. But does – and should – that make a difference? When the government and some doctors want to put caps on malpractice and wrongful death suits, are they also capping how much pain and suffering families are supposed to feel? And had Ritter lived, should the family still be able to sue for a misdiagnosis (aortic tear versus heart attack)?
While Ritter’s lawyers fight it out publicly, many more lawyers representing average families will never have that kind of media attention. Still, this doesn’t mean your lawyer isn’t going to fight for what you deem to be your due. If you feel you have a medical malpractice or wrongful death case, be sure you speak to an experienced malpractice lawyer.
