Vicky Cornell, the widow of singer Chris Cornell, has filed a malpractice lawsuit against his doctor for prescribing him too many mind-altering drugs in the lead up to his death, according to Pitchfork.
The family of the Soundgarden vocalist, who died of suicide last year, claim his death was a result of the drugs prescribed to him by Dr Robert Koblin and his Beverly Hills office, specifically large amounts of the anti-anxiety drug Lorazepam (Ativan) which can increase the risk of suicide for addiction-prone individuals taking the drug for long stretches of time.
According to Cornell’s toxicology report, Lorazepam — along with a multitude of other drugs — were found in the singer’s system at the time of death, though the report concluded drugs were not the cause of death.
Vicky Cornell’s lawsuit claims Dr Koblin and his staff “failed to warn or counsel [Chris] Cornell about the risk of suicidal ideation or any of the other serious side effects of protracted Lorazepam use, which included impaired impulse control, worsening mental distress, and an enhanced sense of desperation.” The lawsuit also claims Cornell’s doctor did not “conduct a medical examination of [him], perform any laboratory studies, obtain an interim history, or do any type of clinical assessment of [him].”
Cornell’s widow and their two children, Toni and Christopher, are all plaintiffs in the lawsuit which has been filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court. The family are suing for unspecified damages.
