Aaron Carter’s family to sue doctors and pharmacies over his death
Aaron Carter’s family are to sue doctors and pharmacies over the musician’s death.
The pop artist was found unresponsive at his house in Lancaster, California last November, and was subsequently pronounced dead after paramedics reached the scene. He was 34 years old and the younger brother of Backstreet Boys musician, Nick Carter.
Now, a wrongful death lawsuit, which has been obtained by TMZ, has been filed on behalf of Carter’s family, alleging that doctors and pharmacists were partly responsible for his death.
In the lawsuit, it is claimed that doctors and the Walgreens pharmacy should have not prescribed opioids to Carter given his medical history. It goes on to allege that incorrectly prescribing and dispensing medications that affected Carter’s judgment and mental health contributed to his death (per The Independent).
The doctors or Walgreens have yet to respond to the claims.
Back in April, Carter‘s ex-fiancé said that the autopsy report into the singer’s death did not give her any “closure”.
A document shared by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner confirmed that Carter’s primary cause of death was drowning.
Secondary causes of death listed were the effects of alprazolam, a generic form of Xanax, and inhaling difluoroethane, also known widely as huffing. The manner of Carter’s passing was deemed accidental.
In a statement to TMZ (via Billboard) at the time, the singer’s ex-fiancé Melanie Martin disputed the findings of the coroner’s report.
“The results of the autopsy are not closure for me,” she said. “It claims death is by drowning but also adds [Carter] was wearing a t-shirt and necklace in the bathtub which doesn’t make sense, why would he be in a bathtub with clothes on?
“I am still in shock and still miss Aaron every day. I don’t understand the chain of events and this report only has us asking more questions.”
Following Carter’s death, his brother Nick Carter paid tribute online. “My heart is broken,” he wrote.
“Even though my brother and I have had a complicated relationship, my love for him has never ever faded. I have always held on to the hope that he would somehow, someday want to walk a healthy path and eventually find the help that he so desperately needed.”
Nick added: “I will miss my brother more than anyone will ever know. I love you Chizz. Now you can finally have the peace you could never find here on earth….I love you baby brother.”
The Backstreet Boys star also set up a children’s mental health fund in the wake of Carter’s passing.
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Elizabeth Aubrey
NME