Aaron Carter’s family and a Los Angeles psychiatry clinic that prescribed the late singer Xanax have reached a settlement in a wrongful death lawsuit.
In court documents obtained by Rolling Stone, People and Billboard, Amen Clinics will pay a “confidential sum” as a “full and final resolution” of the allegations against the clinic and one of its psychiatrists, Dr. John Faber.
The settlement’s value is “within the ballpark” of the damages Carter’s family sought, which was less than US$325,000, Rolling Stone reports.
Global News has not independently verified the reports.
Carter died on Nov. 5, 2022, at the age of 34 in an accidental drowning in his bathtub after taking prescription pills and inhaling gas used in spray cleaners, according to a coroner’s report.
Carter’s family alleged in the lawsuit that two doctors and two pharmacies “overprescribed” and gave the singer “excessively high and unreasonably frequent amounts” of Xanax, according to Rolling Stone.
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The defendants claimed they had complied with the standard of care for prescriptions. They also argued that Carter’s “death was due to inhaling difluoroethane gas (‘huffing’),” and it was not caused by Xanax, People reports.
The complaint was filed in October 2023 on behalf of Carter’s four-year-old son and sole heir, Prince Lyric Carter, by his mother and Carter’s fiancée, Melanie Martin, over the singer’s death.
Other defendants in the lawsuit include dentist Jason Mirabile, Walgreens and Santa Monica Medical Plaza Pharmacy, who have not settled and are scheduled to go to trial in October, Rolling Stone reports.
Global News has reached out to Walgreens and Santa Monica Medical Plaza Pharmacy for comment, but has not received a response.
The Los Angeles County medical examiner-coroner previously said Carter had taken alprazolam, the generic form of Xanax, and inhaled difluoroethane, a gas commonly used in cans of compressed air, before his death. Difluoroethane was identified by the coroner as a substance that “can induce feelings of euphoria when inhaled.”
The coroner’s report identified him as “a celebrity with a known history of substance abuse” who had “multiple interactions with local police relating to the substance abuse.”
Carter is the brother of Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter. His 2000 album, Aaron’s Party (Come Get It), sold three million copies and produced hit singles, including the title song, I Want Candy. His videos received regular airplay on Disney and Nickelodeon.
Carter had been very open about his struggles with substance abuse and mental health.
He checked himself into the All House in Malibu, Calif., in September 2018 but left rehab two weeks later to attend to legal matters. He returned in October to finish his treatment.
During an interview in August 2018 with Elvis Duran on The Z100 Morning Show, the singer addressed rumours regarding his thin appearance and said the subject would be put to rest in a television show.
“People are saying I’m a meth head, I’m a crackhead, I do heroin. It really hurts,” Carter said. “I did this TV show called The Doctors, and you’re going to see a huge reveal, and you’re going to see everything. That’s what’s really happening right now in my world.”
He sought treatment after he tested positive for benzodiazepines and opiates on his 2017 episode of The Doctors.
“Aaron has decided to enter a facility to improve his health and work on his overall wellness,” his publicist Steve Honig said at the time. “He is going to do this privately and focus all his attention on being the best person and performer possible. He is grateful for the support and love from his fans and looks forward to coming back stronger than ever before.”
— With files from The Associated Press
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