Kirk Johnson, Prince’s Bodyguard, Testifies In Wrongful Death Lawsuit

Kirk Johnson, Prince’s former bodyguard, was in a deposition on Wednesday at Carver County Courthouse. The late rock and soul music icon’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit after Prince died of a fentanyl overdose in April of 2016.

The deposition took place for seven hours and according to Johnson’s attorney, F. Clayton Tyler, it was a difficult process for Johnson who described Prince as being a “close friend.”

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“This was a traumatic event for my client,” the attorney said. “He feels very sad over the loss of a good friend of his. To have to come back and go through this and re-litigate this whole matter has been very difficult.”

The lawsuit which was filed against Walgreens, Dr. Michael Schulenberg and Trinity Medical Center, in Moline, Ill., where Prince was treated under emergency circumstances after suffering from an opioid overdose. Walgreens was implicated because the drugstore filled the prescription. His family accused the hospital of improperly diagnosing the overdose and subsequently mistreating him which resulted in his untimely death. Doctors at the hospital gave him two doses of Naloxone, a drug given in order to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.

Prince’s doctor, Dr. Michael Schulenberg, is named in the lawsuit as a defendant as well. Law enforcement agents say Schulenberg admitted to prescribing oxycodone to Johnson just days before Prince passed away. Kirk Johnson intentionally gave Prince the drug from the doctor. Schulenberg denied the charge. He did, however, pay $30,000 to settle a federal civil violation which alleged the drug was prescribed illegally.

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It was never proven where the counterfeit drugs were purchased.

Schulenberg’s attorneys stated that the doctor stands behind the care Prince received before his death. Kirk Johnson claimed he is still affected by the singer’s death.

 

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