Last week it was reported that the investigation into Prince's death would be closing with no criminal charges filed. Price was found dead in April, 2016, and his cause of death was believed to be due to counterfeit Vicodin pills containing lethal amounts of Fentanyl, an incredibly powerful opioid.
Now, according to the New York Times, Price's family will be suing an Illinois hospital, as well as the pharmacy chain, Walgreens, for playing a direct part in Prince's death two years ago.
The suit alleges that Prince received improper care during his stay in the Trinity Medical Center, a Moline, Illinois, hospital where he was treated for a drug overdose days before his death. The lawsuit claims that his death was a "direct and proximate cause" of the hospital failing to properly identify the causes and administer proper treatment for his overdose.
After his plane made an emergency landing, Prince was brought to the hospital, where his bodyguard, Kirk Johnson, told doctors that he may have taken Percocet. The doctors who treated him didn't believe him, as it required a higher dose of Narcan, a drug used to counteract opioid overdoses, to revive him than would be necessary with Percocet. However, the hospital allowed Prince to leave after his revival, despite his refusal to undergo any sort of testing.
Walgreens is also named in the suit, for allegedly "dispensing narcotic prescription medications" without a proper purpose, and for failing to conduct a thorough drug utilization review.
Prince's family's lawyers said in a statement Monday, "What happened to Prince is happening to families across America. The family wishes through its investigation to shed light on this epidemic and how to better the fight to save lives. If Prince’s death helps save lives, then all was not lost."
