LOS ANGELES (KNX) — Relatives of the late actor Bill Paxton, known for Twister and Big Love, sued Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in connection with the star’s 2017 death. A judge ruled Wednesday that the family can now seek punitive damages at trial against the L.A. hospital.
Judge Steven J. Kleifield of L.A. County Superior Court denied a defense motion to dismiss the punitive damages claim dealing with the disposition of Paxton’s body — the basis for the suit first brought against the hospital in 2018 by the actor’s widow, Louise Paxton, and their children, James and Lydia Paxton.
Plaintiffs alleged Cedars-Sinai and attending Dr. Ali Khoynezhad intentionally interfered with their request for an autopsy in an attempt to cover up the true cause of Paxton’s death.
"Defendants made such a promise with no intention to perform an autopsy on William Paxton so they could conceal their role in causing the death of Mr. Paxton," the suit states.
Paxton’s family said they did not know an autopsy would not be performed at Cedars, where the actor died, and that had they known, they would have made alternative arrangements to ensure one was conducted before he was cremated.
Paxton’s death certificate stated he died of a stroke in Feb. 2017 — 11 days after heart-valve replacement surgery. He was 61.
"The heart surgery recommended to Bill Paxton was not indicated," the suit states. "Mr. Paxton did not meet even Khoynezhad's own criteria for such a surgery."
Khoynezhad, a cardiothoracic surgeon at Cedars, was allegedly known prior to Paxton’s death to practice cutting edge surgical techniques some described as risky, or “cowboy medicine,” according to the suit.
"In Khoynezhad's quest to generate more surgeries and higher numbers, he continued to push the envelope and pushed to do surgeries on cases that were marginal at best," the suit states.
"Cedars submits no evidence as to who made the misrepresentation to plaintiffs, who was involved in making the misrepresentation or who was involved in the decision to not perform the autopsy," the judge wrote.
In court filings, defense attorneys claimed the hospital had “no advanced knowledge of the unfitness of any employees related to the disposition of bodies.”
Trial of the lawsuit has been pushed to September.
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