In 2018, Prince’s family members filed a lawsuit against the Minnesota doctor who treated the singer prior to his death on April 21, 2016, as well as the doctor’s former employer and an Illinois hospital that offered Prince medical assistance following an overdose a week before his death. According to a report from the Associated Press, the wrongful death lawsuit was dropped, likely due to a settlement. Per the AP, claims against Dr. Michael Schulenberg and North Memorial Hospital were dismissed in November, while claims against Walgreens, the pharmacy that filled Prince’s prescriptions, and Trinity Medical Center, the Illinois hospital that treated his overdose, were dismissed in August. Both sides reportedly agreed to the dismissals.
Schulenberg reportedly saw Prince twice before his death and, according to the family’s suit, allegedly failed to diagnose and treat Prince’s “recognizable opioid addiction.” Despite disputing the allegation, he eventually paid $30,000 as part of a federal civil settlement for prescribing Prince’s bodyguard oxycodone, knowing it would go to the singer.
However, the singer’s death is believed to have been caused by an accidental overdose caused by fentanyl-laced counterfeit Vicodin. Authorities remain unable to locate the source of the counterfeit medication and, as such, no criminal charges have ever been filed in his death.
