Joan Rivers’ Daughter Melissa To Sue Doctor Over Mother’s Death

The death of Joan Rivers was a shock to the entertainment industry and to fans throughout the world, but nobody was more affected than the late comedy icon’s daughter Melissa. Now, after weeks of speculation, it seems that Rivers will indeed take legal action against the doctor who supposedly triggered her mother’s sudden ill health.

Joan went into cardiac arrest following a minor vocal procedure on August 28 and died a week later. During the procedure, doctors at Yorkville Endoscopy reportedly noticed something on Rivers’ vocal cords, prompting Dr. Gwen Korovin to perform an unauthorized biopsy on the comedian. The biopsy caused Rivers to stop breathing, and she went into cardiac arrest soon after.

According to reports, Melissa Rivers is pursuing a lawsuit against both the hospital and Korovin, who was Joan’s personal physician at the time of her death. The celebrity doctor is also under fire for allegedly taking a selfie with the late Rivers while she was unconscious, a claim that the doctor has strongly denied. Gwen is also denying that she performed an unauthorized biopsy.

Surprisingly, the physician has not stopped working since the tragic incident occurred, and is even taking new clients. Yorkville Endoscopy, on the other hand, has held themselves accountable following Joan Rivers’ death. Medical director Lawrence Cohen has stepped down from his position and is no longer performing surgery at the facility.

“Melissa does plan to sue the clinic,” a friend of Rivers told the Daily Mail. “It’s very difficult to discuss something so unpleasant with her, but she is going to launch a lawsuit.”

Following the news, Gwen’s lawyers released a statement to the same publication refusing to comment on the alleged suit.

“As a matter of personal and professional policy, Dr. Korovin does not publicly discuss her patients or their care and treatment. Further, Dr. Korovin is prohibited by state and federal confidentiality laws from discussing her care and treatment of any particular patient,” the statement read. “For these reasons, neither Dr. Korovin nor her attorneys will have any public comment on recent press reports regarding her practice.”

Joan, the 81-year-old comedy and television icon, had been performing up until her death, and had no plans to slow down her career at the time of her sudden passing. Rivers was more recently known for her stint with E!’s Fashion Police.

Joan Rivers began her career in 1959 and rose to prominence after appearing a number of times on Tonight Show with Jack Paar. Joan’s daughter was her only child, and her grandson Cooper was born in 2000.