California is home to much of the nation’s music industry and has been no stranger to the tragic passing of well-known artists. Lil Peep was one of the most recent, passing away as a result of drug overdose in 2017 when he was 21 years old. His mother is now accusing some of the people who had worked to manage her son’s career of being complicit in his death and has brought a wrongful death lawsuit against them.
There have been wrongful death claims related to overdose deaths in the past but those have typically been against doctors who had prescribed or administered medications. Michael Jackson’s death is one example where a doctor engaged in his care was the subject of a lawsuit. The case involving Lil Peep’s death is different in that the suit names people who worked with the artist and stood to profit from his continued success.
The suit claims that the performer suffered from anxiety, exhaustion and was burned out. In an attempt to keep him going and performing night after night, his handlers purportedly provided him with Xanax and other drugs. The mother’s lawsuit does not absolve Lil Peep for responsibility in his own death but does imply that other people had a part in the tragedy. California law can take into account comparative negligence in such cases, meaning that if the people around Lil Peep are even partly to blame for his death, his mother could be awarded damages as a result of the lawsuit.
Musical artists do what they do to provide entertainment for their audiences. Such entertainment need not come at the cost of their health or the loss of their lives. A person who has suffered the loss of a loved one in a similar manner in California may wish to consult with a knowledgeable professional to help determine if a wrongful death lawsuit is a viable option.
