Family of Bill Paxton sue surgeon and hospital over Titanic actor's death

Bill Paxton's family are suing a surgeon and hospital over the actor's death shortly after heart surgery.

Titanic star Paxton died in February last year 11 days on from undergoing a procedure to repair an aneurysm.

His family have now taken out a claim against Los Angeles's Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre and Dr Ali Khoynezhad for negligence and wrongful death.

They say the risks of the unnecessary and "maverick" operation were misrepresented and that Dr Khoynezhad was not experienced with the procedure.

Paxton's widow Louise and their children James and Lydia say that the Apollo 13 and Terminator star went on to suffer multiple complications including excessive bleeding and cardiogenic shock, where the heart muscle is so damaged it can no longer pump enough blood for the body.

His family are now seeking undisclosed damages, according to a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles in Friday.

The defendants failed to disclose that Dr Khoynezhad "was going to use a high-risk and unconventional surgical approach with which he lacked experience", the family's lawyer wrote.

They also allegedly "misrepresented and/or concealed information relating to the risks of surgery", which the lawyer described as "maverick".

Dr Khoynezhad, now working at a different hospital, is believed to have left the site without arranging adequate care before Paxton suffered the complications, the lawsuit added.

The actor, born in Fort Worth, Texas, was starring in US broadcaster CBS's Training Day series when he died.