Doctors Cleared in John Ritter Wrongful Death Lawsuit

Originally posted Friday March 14, 2008 03:10 PM EDT

The family of John Ritter has lost its $67-million wrongful death lawsuit against a cardiologist and a radiologist, after a California jury on Friday cleared the doctors of negligence in the diagnosis and treatment of the late actor.

The jurors found that Ritter failed to follow radiologist Dr. Matthew Lotysch's advice to see a physician once Lotysch had done a body scan on him in 2001, the Associated Press and L.A. City News Service report.

Ritter died of a torn aorta in 2003.

The other defendant in the case was Dr. Joseph Lee, who treated Ritter the night he died.

Ritter's widow, actress Amy Yasbeck, who testified at trial, and his four children brought the lawsuit. The $67 million they sought was their estimate of the sitcom star's potential earning power.

Previously, the family members received more than $14 million in settlements, according to court records.

In the wrongful-death trial, the jury's verdict was 9-3. In civil cases such as this, verdicts need not be unanimous.