Rivers, who was 81, suffered a loss of oxygen to her brain on
Aug. 28, 2014, as physicians at the Yorkville Endoscopy center
in Manhattan inserted instruments to examine her throat and
vocal cords. She died a week later at a New York hospital.
Her daughter, Melissa, filed a malpractice suit in January 2015,
alleging doctors posed for selfies with their sedated celebrity
patient even as her vital signs were plunging.
"In choosing to accept this settlement, I am able to put the
legal aspects of my mother's death behind me and ensure that
those culpable for her death have accepted responsibility for
their actions quickly and without equivocation," Melissa Rivers
said in a statement released by her lawyers, Ben Rubinowitz and
Jeff Bloom.
Reuters could not reach representatives of Yorkville Endoscopy
for comment. The New York Times quoted a spokesman as saying,
"The parties agreed to settle this case to avoid protracted
litigation. We remain committed to providing quality,
compassionate health care services."
The Rivers lawyers said the doctors did not deny responsibility.
Shortly before the lawsuit was filed, a government health
agency, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, cited the
Yorkville clinic for failing to follow standard protocols during
its treatment of Rivers.
Melissa Rivers vowed to work toward ensuring higher safety
standards at outpatient surgical clinics.
"We have agreed to keep the terms of the settlement confidential
to make certain that the focus of this horrific incident remains
on improved patient care and the legacy of Joan Rivers," the two
lawyers said in the statement.
(Reporting by Daniel Trotta in New York and Dan Whitcomb in Los
Angeles; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
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