Family of Apollo 13 Star Bill Paxton File Wrongful Death Lawsuit

Family Alleges Surgeon and Hospital knew the risks but recommended the operation anyway.

Los Angeles, CAAlmost a year ago Bill Paxton, the actor who starred in “Apollo 13” died suddenly following heart surgery. This week, his family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the surgeon and the medical center where Paxton underwent surgery. The complaint asserts the surgeon was negligent as he misrepresented the risks of involved with the procedure.

According to the family, Paxton went to the Beverly Hills-area Cedars-Sinai Medical Center seeking treatment for a congenital aortic valve condition and aortic aneurysm. Dr. Ali Khoynezhad and the hospital recommended a minimally invasive procedure, which Paxton’s family state they later discovered was “unnecessary.”

During the days leading up to his surgery, Paxton’s family states the hospital and surgeon concealed the risks of the “maverick” procedure from them. They allege that Khoynezhad and Cedars-Sinai wanted to perform the unconventional operation for their own “personal and reputational benefit.”

According to the complaint, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and Khoynezhad failed to disclose that the planned procedure to repair an aortic aneurysm was “high risk and unconventional,” and that the surgeon lacked experience in doing the procedure. The wrongful death also alleges Khoynezhad wasn’t in the operating room when Paxton began experiencing the complications that led to his death 11 days later, from a stroke.

“During and after the heart surgery … defendants provided negligent diagnosis, management, and treatment of [Paxton],” the complaint states. “Due to defendants’ acts and omissions, [Paxton] suffered multiple complications, including but not limited to, excessive bleeding, cardiogenic shock, right ventricular dysfunction, ventricular tachycardia, right ventricular ischemia, and a compromised right coronary artery.”

Nearly 100 unnamed people are targeted by the lawsuit, individuals who acted negligently or provided harmful treatment to Paxton that caused his death. South Bay Medical Partners is also a named defendant.

Further, Paxton’s family is accusing Khoynezhad of battery by “intentionally perform[ing] unnecessary heart surgery.” The complaint also includes a claim of breach of fiduciary duty, which the family assert, is because both the surgeon and Cedars-Sinai failed to act in Paxton’s best interest by recommending a dangerous and unnecessary treatment.