Chris Cornell’s wife Vicky and his children are plaintiffs in a new lawsuit filed today against the late singer’s doctor. According to the filing, a copy of which was obtained by Uproxx, Cornell’s family is alleging that Dr. Robert Koblin “negligently and repeatedly prescribed[ed] dangerous mind-altering controlled substances… which impaired [his] cognition, clouded his judgment and caused him to engage in dangerous impulsive behaviors that he was unable to control, costing him his life.”
Cornell, who took his own life last year after a Soundgarden concert in Detroit, was apparently prescribed 940 doses of the anti-anxiety drug Lorazepam, or Ativan, as it’s more commonly known, between October 2015 and May 2017. He was also prescribed Oxycodone, despite his status as described in the suit as being an “addiction-prone individual.”
As outlined in the court documents, Koblin is said to have given Cornell this medication even though, “He did not even see or speak to Mr. Cornell during this period,” and as a result of his actions, “The world lost a musical icon and the Cornell family lost a beloved father and husband.”
From the outset of Cornell’s suicide, his wife Vicky has maintained that his use of Ativan played a part. In a statement released last year, she recalled that she “noticed he was slurring his words; he was different,” while she spoke to him on the phone that evening. “When he told me he may have taken an extra Ativan or two, I contacted security and asked that they check on him. What happened is inexplicable and I am hopeful that further medical reports will provide additional details.” A subsequent autopsy revealed that he did indeed have levels of Ativan in his system.
