No wrongdoing in Ritter death

A Glendale jury cleared two doctors in the wrongful-death lawsuit. As reported by the LAT, jurors found that the doctors did everything they could to save the actor’s life. Actually, the motivation about filing suit always seemed a little iffy - the family already has received more than $14 million in settlements. Ritter's wife, actress Amy Yasbeck, told The Times that the family was seeking damages in part because they wanted a public accounting of what had happened. She also wanted a public apology.

At dispute was whether doctors at the hospital should have identified his condition -- an aortic dissection, which is a tear in the largest blood vessel in the body -- when he sought treatment for chest pain that had begun earlier that day while he was on the set of his hit show "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter." Doctors treated him for a heart attack, not discovering his pre-existing condition until shortly before he died. Lawyers for the defendants, radiologist Matthew Lotysch and cardiologist Joseph Lee, argued successfully that Ritter was doomed by his own biology.

More by Mark Lacter:
American-US Air settlement with DOJ includes small tweak at LAX
Socal housing market going nowhere fast
Amazon keeps pushing for faster L.A. delivery
Another rugged quarter for Tribune Co. papers
How does Stanford compete with the big boys?
Those awful infographics that promise to explain and only distort
Best to low-ball today's employment report
Further fallout from airport shootings
Crazy opening for Twitter*
Should Twitter be valued at $18 billion?
Recent stories:
Letter from Down Under: Welcome to the Homogenocene
One last Florida photo
Signs of Saturday: No refund
'I Am Woman,' hear them roar
Bobcat crossing

New at LA Observed
On the Media Page
Go to Media

On the Politics Page
Go to Politics
Arts and culture

Sign up for daily email from LA Observed

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner


Advertisement
Mark Lacter
Mark Lacter created the LA Biz Observed blog in 2006. He posted until the day before his death on Nov. 13, 2013.
 
Mark Lacter, business writer and editor was 59
The multi-talented Mark Lacter
LA Observed on Twitter and Facebook