The jury in the $67 million wrongful death lawsuit filed by John Ritter’s widow and four children ruled today that his two doctors were not at fault for the actor’s death. Actress Amy Yasbeck, Ritter’s widow, gave incredibly emotional testimony during the trial, along with many of his family, friends, and coworkers. Everyone spoke about what a wonderful, friendly, and loving man John Ritter was, and the extent he’d gone to in taking care of his health – specifically his heart – over the years. However the jury ruled 9 to 3 in favor of the doctors.

John Ritter’s tragic death cannot be blamed on a pair of doctors. So a jury essentially decided Friday in rejecting a wrongful death claim made by the Ritter family.

The split, 9-3 verdict in the civil trial in Glendale, California, comes after weeks of testimony frequently marked by tears from Ritter’s former coworkers, friends and his widow, actress Amy Yasbeck. At issue in the $67 million lawsuit, brought by Yasbeck and Ritter’s four children, was whether a radiologist, Dr. Matthew Lotysch, was negligent in a body scan he performed on Ritter in 2001, and whether a cardiologist, Dr. Joseph Lee, was negligent in care he provided for Ritter on the night he died in 2003. The jury found that, in the case of Lotysch, the radiologist, after looking at the scan results, told Ritter to follow up with a doctor, advise Ritter apparently didn’t take.

[From E! News]

The testimony in the trial was incredibly emotional – but also incredibly complex, in terms of the medical technicalities. As a layperson, I was pretty swayed by what I heard, but I couldn’t help but feel heartbroken for everyone involved. While this obviously doesn’t provide any closure for Ritter’s family, hopefully they’re moving forward with their lives and know that they did the best they could.

Here are John and Amy and their daughter Stella along with John’s three kids from his first marriage Carly, Tyler, and Jason at the “101 Dalmatians II” premiere on January 11th, 2003. Header of John and Amy at ABC Televisions 75th Anniversary Celebration on March 16th, 2003. Images thanks to PR Photos.

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