Melissa Rivers Irate That Doctor Snapped Picture Of Sedated Joan Rivers Before Her Death

Melissa Rivers is reportedly irate at a report that a doctor snapped a picture of her mother, Joan Rivers, as she was under sedation for a throat procedure, one that would go terribly wrong and lead to the comedian’s death.

A report from the Federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services found that a doctor at the Yorkville Endoscopy clinic took a picture of Rivers as she was having surgery. The report also indicated that the clinic had several failures contributing to Rivers’ death, including a failure “to identify deteriorating vital signs and provide timely intervention during the procedure.”

This week Melissa Rivers expressed outrage at the report.

“As any of us would be, Ms. Rivers is outraged by the misconduct and mismanagement now shown to have occurred before, during and after the procedure,” attorneys Jeffrey B. Bloom and Ben Rubinowitz said Monday in a prepared statement. “Moving forward, Ms. Rivers will direct her efforts towards ensuring that what happened to her mother will not occur again with any other patient.”

After the death of Joan Rivers, the state of New York launched an investigation into the clinic and gave a January deadline to fix deficiencies or face being closed down. The clinic said that it has cooperated with regulatory agencies since Rivers went into cardiac arrest and “immediately submitted and implemented a plan of correction that addressed all issues raised.”

Melissa Rivers has still not made an official decision whether to sue the clinic but legal experts believe she is laying the groundwork for a suit. She has hired a powerful legal team and reportedly plans a lawsuit against Yorkville Endoscopy.

Though Melissa Rivers could stand to gain millions of dollars from the potential lawsuit, sources say she is not motivated by money. Melissa has already inherited millions from her mother’s fortune and reportedly just wants someone to be held accountable for her mother’s death.