A prominent New York trauma surgeon who was found by his young daughter with a knife in his chest at his apartment Sunday afternoon was the subject of a lawsuit by a former NFL football player, according to the New York Daily News.
Former NFL Giants running back Michael Cox sued Dean G. Lorich, MD, in May 2016 seeking unspecified damages.
In his lawsuit, Mr. Cox claimed Dr. Lorich failed to provide him with adequate care after performing surgery on him in 2014, according to the report.
A lawyer for Mr. Cox told the New York Daily News Mr. Cox's injuries became "worse and worse and worse to a point where ultimately, Michael went to different doctors, had multiple surgeries, and his career was ruined — he cannot play football anymore."
Dr. Lorich's 11-year-old daughter discovered her father with a knife in his chest near his heart around 1 p.m. Sunday. Police are treating Dr. Lorich's death as an apparent suicide, as authorities found no evidence of forced entry into his apartment.
Dr. Lorich was the associate director of the orthopedic trauma service at Hospital for Special Surgery and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, and a professor of orthopedic surgery at Weill Cornell Medicine, all in New York City.
A spokesperson for the Hospital for Special Surgery told the New York Daily News the hospital "does not comment regarding pending litigation. We are in the process of vigorously defending the allegations against HSS and Dr. Lorich."
"We were informed this afternoon [Sunday, December 10, 2017] by the New York Police Department that our respected colleague Dr. Dean Lorich was found dead. Dr. Lorich was a distinguished orthopedic trauma surgeon and teacher serving at Hospital for Special Surgery, NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine. We mourn this tragic development and extend our deepest sympathies to Dr. Lorich's family, friends and patients," the NewYork-Presbyterian spokesperson told Becker's Hospital Review via email Tuesday.
Editor's note: This article was updated at 10:45 a.m. Dec. 12 to inculde additional information from NewYork-Presbyterian.