Melissa Rivers files malpractice lawsuit against her mother's doctors

Comedian Joan Rivers died on Sept. 4 due to brain damage that was caused by a lack of oxygen after she’d stopped breathing during an endoscopy at Yorkville Endoscopy a few days earlier. Her death was determined to be a therapeutic complication, after which, her doctor, Dr. Lawrence Cohen, stepped down.

And now, according to the Associated Press, Melissa Rivers has filed a malpractice lawsuit against the doctors and clinic.

The lawsuit reportedly claims that the doctors “mishandled” the procedure. It also alleges that the doctors performed a laryngoscopy without consent. Finally, the suit alleges that the doctor left the operating room in order to avoid being caught.

Previously, there had been a federal investigation that found that the Yorkville Endoscopy Clinic had made a few errors, such as taking cellphone photos of Rivers when she was unconscious, failing to have proper medication records, and failing to get informed consent for every procedure. The clinic had also failed to record Rivers’ weight before giving her sedation medication.

The clinic submitted changes, but its accreditation was revoked unless it had improved by March 2. This all occurred prior to the lawsuit, which Melissa Rivers filed on Monday.

There has been no comment from the clinic at this time.