Last week, authorities announced that no criminal charges would be filed in Prince’s death, which was the result of an accidental opioid overdose. The singer, an investigation concluded, was taking a counterfeit form of Vicodin, or hydrocodone, at the time of his death that, unbeknownst to him, contained fentanyl. In a new wrongful-death lawsuit filed Monday, Prince’s family accuses Trinity Medical Center of giving the singer improper care after his private plane was forced to land in Moline, Illinois, following an overdose, saying their alleged failure was a “direct and proximate cause†of his death.
As the New York Times reports, Walgreens is also named in the suit, which claims the pharmacy chain’s employees were “dispensing narcotic prescription medications†to Prince “for an invalid medical purpose and failing to conduct the appropriate drug utilization review.â€
According to the Times, the suit accuses Trinity Medical Center and Dr. Nicole F. Mancha of failing to “appropriately diagnose and treat,†as well as investigate the cause of and offer counseling for, the April 15, 2016, overdose that precipitated the plane’s landing. In an interview with investigators, Mancha said she thought Prince was likely lying when he claimed to have taken only two Percocet before the incident, as he had required two shots of Narcan to be revived. Mancha subsequently sent the pills, which she said resembled hydrocodone, to be identified, but the medication “was not tested for its authenticity†by the facility. The singer then refused a urine toxicology screening and blood work, leaving the hospital without further treatment. Prince died the next week on April 21.
“What happened to Prince is happening to families across America,†the family’s lawyers George Loucas and John Goetz said in a statement about the suit. “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.â€