Melissa Rivers sues clinic over the death of her mother Joan

(Image credit: Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images)

Melissa Rivers has filed a multimillion dollar lawsuit against the doctors and clinic where her mother, comedian Joan Rivers, suffered a medical emergency that led to her death.

In late August, Rivers was at the Yorkville Endoscopy Center so doctors could check her esophagus in an attempt to see why her voice was changing, the New York Daily News reports. Court papers say that after the endoscopy started, Rivers' blood pressure, pulse, heart rate, and oxygen levels plummeted and doctors did not cut her trachea in order to restore oxygen flow to her brain. Rivers died seven days later at the age of 81.

"The level of medical mismanagement, incompetency, disrespect, and outrageous behavior is shocking and frankly almost incomprehensible," Melissa Rivers said in a statement. "Not only did my mother deserve better, every patient deserves better."

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Catherine Garcia

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.