Wrongful death litigation against former doctor and hospital recently dismissed
Prince Rogers Nelson known globally as “Prince”
I have previously written about Prince’s death and the litigation involving his estate that followed. More on these stories here.
Prince died on April 21, 2016 at the age of 57. He died without a will and was found at his Paisley Park home in Minnesota. Subsequent investigation revealed that he died as a result of a drug overdose. There was also immediate uncertainty as to who his heirs would be and what his estate was worth. Some estimates valued his estate at hundreds of millions of dollars. Extensive litigation involving the estate immediately ensued. One aspect of the litigation was the wrongful death litigation commenced by Prince’s heirs.
A recent online story addresses the recent developments in these matters. One lawsuit was commenced against Dr. Schulenberg, the doctor who treated Prince in the weeks before he died. Another lawsuit was commenced against Trinity Medical Center, a facility where Prince was treated before he died. According to the story, the cases against Dr. Schulenberg and the hospital were dismissed in November and August of 2019, respectively. Although no details were provided, the story suggests that the family members reached settlements with Dr. Schulenberg and the hospital. If settlements were in fact reached, the details are most likely going to remain confidential.
Interestingly, no one has been charged criminally in Prince’s death. The investigation into the circumstances of his death revealed that counterfeit pills may have contributed to his death. According to the story, the source of these pills remains unknown.
Litigation involving the Estate continues
Notwithstanding the discontinuation of the wrongful death lawsuits, other litigation involving Prince’s Estate continues. According to another online story, a recent development involves the decision of one of Prince’s siblings, Tyka Nelson, to sell a portion of her share of the estate to Primary Wave, a publishing and talent company.
Ms. Nelson is allegedly doing this to fund litigation costs. Prince’s other siblings are objecting to Primary Wave becoming involved as an interested party in the ongoing litigation. Involvement by Primary Wave would likely further complicate this matter and cause additional delay. Furthermore, it is unclear what role Primary Wave would play in any future negotiations between the parties.
Given the value of Prince’s estate and the potential for future earnings, litigation in this matter is unlikely to end any time soon. This will be an interesting story to follow.
More on this story here.