Bernie Mac's Wife Sues Doctor for Comedian's Wrongful Death
06 Aug 2010
(NewsCore) - Bernie Mac�s wife has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the doctor who treated the comedian before his death, The Chicago Sun-Times reported Friday. Rhonda McCullough is seeking $50,000 because dermatologist Rene Earles allegedly failed to send her sick husband straight to the hospital when he came to his clinic less than a month before his death.
Her suit, lodged in Chicago, alleges the delay contributed to more serious health problems that ultimately lead to the �Ocean's Eleven� actor�s death at the age of 50 on August 9, 2008, due to complications related to pneumonia. Earles "failed to recognize cardiopulmonary instability in Bernie" and "failed to recognize and act upon abnormal vital signs and signs of respiratory failure," the suit alleges.
Earles, 69, denies the allegations and says the actor came to the clinic to treat lesions on his head, face and neck caused by his inflammatory lung disease. The doctor says he provided treatment and then had Mac sleep for a few hours after he showed signs of weakness. Once he realized Mac had been diagnosed with pneumonia in both lungs he instructed Mac to go to the hospital, Earles said in a Sun-Times interview. "It was entirely devastating. Look, Bernie was my patient. Bernie was my friend. We became extremely close -- we were like brothers," Earles said.
