As of 2020, some four years
later, it has been made clear that there have not been any substantial cause
for the enigmatic 2016 death of musician Prince Rogers Nelson to be considered “wrongful.”
The singer-songwriter and guitarist, who performed under the stage name Prince
(and briefly as “The Artist Formerly Known as Prince”) passed away in April 21
that year under mysterious circumstances connected to his then-ongoing health
issues. Wrongful death suits were filed by Prince’s surviving family against a
Minnesota doctor the artist was consulting before his death and several other
persons for suspected medical malpractice. But now it appears all pending cases
have been dismissed since 2019.
USA Today reports that apparently all defendants in the wrongful death
lawsuit for the opioid -induced death of music legend Prince at his Paisley
Park in Chanhassen, Minnesota close to four years ago have since been dismissed
of all claims by the court. An autopsy at the time revealed that Prince had
taken a fatal overdose of fentanyl from what was determined to be counterfeit
pills that he had been taking. As he had left no written will, Prince’s estate
has been in limbo as the courts proceed rather slowly in its valuing and
disposal.
Several people were sued by
Prince’s relatives in the wake of his 2016 passing, among them being the Moline,
Illinois hospital where the artist stayed seven days before his actual death,
for allowing him to leave against medical advice following his emergency
treatment there for an opioid overdose episode. The suit alleged that the
defendants were in the know of how long Prince was suffering from opioid
addiction, but did nothing to stop the chain of events leading to his death.
But in spring of 2019, plaintiffs started dismissing charges against the defendants
until all have been cleared of wrongdoing.
The dismissals of wrongful death
liability appear to have come following a series of settlements between Prince
Nelson’s family and the defendants. Minnesota law professor Henry Blair notes
from a reading of the dismissal language, with permission from plaintiffs and
defendants, all but confirms the settlement angle for getting the suit thrown
out. There is however an appeal ongoing to overturn the dismissal of the lawsuit
against addiction specialist Henry Kornfield, who was contracted by Prince’s
associates regarding his condition sometime before the musician’s death.
In the meantime, surviving
siblings of Prince are still awaiting a final valuation of their late brother’s
estate, as the Internal Revenue Service has not provided a definitive
assessment beyond an over $200-million estimate, pre-taxation. Prince was famous
for songs such as “Purple Rain,” “When Doves Cry” and “The Most Beautiful Girl
in the World.”
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