Actor John Ritter's Malpractice Case Heads to Court

Dan Frith

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Remember John Ritter...old "Jack Tripper" from the sitcom Three's Company? Well, he died of a tear in the aorta, known as an aortic dissection, on Sept. 11, 2003, at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, California. His widow filed a medical malpractice claim against his doctors and the case is now under way.

The lawyer for John Ritter's family told the jury he would show the doctors caused the actor's death by an improper diagnosis and substandard treatment. Ritter's relatives say that instead of being treated for his aortic dissection, he was instead mistakenly treated for a heart attack. The lawsuit claims that Ritter's radiologist, Dr. Matthew Lotysch, failed to give Ritter warning of his purportedly enlarged aorta two years before he died, and that Dr. Joseph Lee (the cardiologist called to Ritter's side the night of his death) failed to order the proper tests to diagnose his condition.

The family is suing two doctors for $67 million. The lawsuit follows settlements with the hospital and eight other medical personnel for about $14 million. This will be an interesting case to follow.