Slipknot has faced its fair share of loss as a band. Not many acts can survive the death of a founding member, but they’ve been fortunate enough to move forward. It’s been almost six year since bassist Paul Gray was found dead in his hotel room from a drug overdose. Earlier this year, Gray’s doctor, Daniel Baldi faced eight counts of involuntary manslaughter as a result of allegedly overprescribing painkillers to many patients, including Gray.
In a secondary suit, his widow filed a wrongful death suit. In a surprising twist, the widow’s suit was just thrown out of court. Why? Because it was apparently filed after the statue of limitations expired (meaning it was filed too late after Gray’s death). What’s even more surprising is that his daughter might be eligible to file a suit as well. If you didn’t know, Gray’s daughter wasn’t even born yet when he passed. How? According to the The Des Moines Register, for emotional damages:
“The first-of-its kind case required the Iowa justices to weigh whether October Gray could bring a lawsuit for the loss of her father’s love and emotional support — known as loss of consortium — even though she was still in her mother’s womb when Gray died of a drug overdose in May 2010.
The young daughter could still suffer the emotional effects of her father’s death after her birth, making her claim eligible to be decided by a jury, Justice Daryl Hecht wrote in the ruling. The ruling went against arguments from lawyers representing Dr. Daniel Baldi, who claimed October Gray had no relationship with her late father and should be unable to sue.”
No one can really argue that not having a father can seriously mess with a child’s development; but filing a lawsuit is a new first for us. We’ll keep you updated as the case unfolds.
via [Metal Injection]
