Chris Cornell’s estate settles lawsuit with doctor accused of over-prescribing anxiety medication

A lawsuit between the family of late Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell and Doctor Robert Koblin M.D. has been settled. Cornell’s family claimed that Koblin had over-prescribed his medication in the years leading up to his death in May 2017.

According to Rolling Stone, legal documents show that a settlement between Koblin and Cornell’s widow Vicky and children Toni and Christopher Nicholas was reached last month. The terms of the settlement have not been made public.

In the documents, Cornell family lawyer Melissa Lerner states: “After years of litigation and settlement negotiations, Plaintiffs and Defendants Robert Koblin, M.D., Robert Koblin, M.D., Inc. and Robertson Cardiovascular Center, LLC (collectively, ‘Defendants’) have reached a confidential settlement agreement to resolve all claims asserted by each Plaintiff.”

The initial lawsuit was filed in 2018, and alleged that Koblin prescribed Cornell over 940 doses of anti-anxiety drug Lorazepam, also known as Ativan, between September 2015 and his death by suicide in May 2017.

The suit also claims that Koblin was prescribing Cornell Oxycodone, though it alleges that the doctor never conducted a follow-up medical examination of Cornell, performed any lab studies or clinical assessments. The suit accuses Koblin of negligence, failure to obtain informed consent and willful misconduct, as well as a failure to warn Cornell of the side effects of Lorazepam. These can include impairment of judgement, diminished impulse control and increased risk of suicide. The suit describes these accusations in the light of Cornell’s past struggles with addiction.

A coroner’s report indicated that traces of seven different drugs were found in Chris Cornell’s system following his death by suicide, however the medical examiner in the case stated that “drugs did not contribute to the cause of death.”