Aaron Carter’s Family Heads Toward Trial in Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Xanax Providers
In a significant legal development, the family of the late pop icon Aaron Carter has been granted a trial against the medical professionals and pharmacies accused of contributing to his tragic death in 2022. Carter, who rose to fame as a teen sensation in the early 2000s, was found dead at the age of 34 after drowning in a bathtub, with a toxicology report revealing the presence of Xanax and refrigerant gas in his system. His former fiancée has initiated a lawsuit on behalf of their son, Princeton Lyric Carter, claiming that psychiatrist Dr. John Faber and dentist Dr. Jason Mirabile over-prescribed Xanax, while Walgreens and an independent pharmacy in Los Angeles improperly filled the prescriptions without ensuring that Carter was not abusing the medication.
Despite attempts from the defendants to dismiss the case based on expert testimonies suggesting that the Xanax levels were insufficient to cause unconsciousness, the presiding judge, Daniel L. Alexander, found enough evidence to allow the case to proceed to trial. The judge acknowledged that the plaintiff’s expert, Dr. George C. Georgaklis, raised significant questions regarding medical malpractice and wrongful death. The trial is currently scheduled for June 2026, unless a settlement is reached beforehand. However, the lawsuit has been narrowed down, as the judge ruled that claims for pain and suffering experienced by Carter prior to his death can only be pursued by his estate, limiting the scope of damages that Princeton can seek to financial support and emotional distress stemming from the loss of his father.
Aaron Carter’s career began in the late 1990s, where he gained fame opening for the Backstreet Boys, a group that included his older brother, Nick Carter. His 2000 album, “Aaron’s Party (Come and Get It),” was a commercial success, reaching No. 4 on the Billboard 200 chart and solidifying his status as a teen heartthrob. However, in the years leading up to his death, Carter was candid about his struggles with substance abuse, having undergone multiple rehabilitation programs and engaging in outpatient therapy. The upcoming trial not only seeks to hold the medical professionals accountable but also highlights the ongoing conversation surrounding mental health and substance abuse, particularly in the entertainment industry. The Carter family’s attorney expressed hope that the defendants would recognize their potential liability and enter into settlement negotiations before the trial date.
Three years after
Aaron Carter
’s sudden death at the age of 34, the deceased singer’s family has been granted a trial next year against doctors and pharmacies that gave him access to Xanax pills.
The 2000s teen pop sensation
drowned in a bathtub
in 2022 after inhaling refrigerant gas and taking Xanax. Carter’s former fiancée later sued on behalf of the son they had together, alleging that psychiatrist Dr. John Faber and dentist Dr. Jason Mirabile over-prescribed him Xanax, and that Walgreens and an independent Los Angeles pharmacy wrongly filled the prescriptions without checking to see if Carter was abusing the drug.
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Both the doctors and the pharmacies sought to throw out the case based on expert reports concluding that the amount of Xanax in Carter’s system was not enough to make him lose consciousness, and that the real culprit was the gas he inhaled from canisters of compressed air (known as difluoroethane). But Carter’s lawyers have their own experts who say Xanax was at least partly to blame for his drowning — meaning the case must be decided by a jury.
“Defendant concedes that plaintiff’s opposition, supported by expert Dr. George C. Georgaklis, raises a triable issue of material fact as to the medical malpractice claim,” wrote Judge Daniel L. Alexander in a July 31 order rejecting Dr. Mirabile’s argument. “Thus, the Court denies the motion for summary adjudication as to medical negligence and wrongful death.”
Judge Alexander similarly denied Santa Monica Medical Plaza Pharmacy’s motion on Sept. 22 and arguments from both Walgreens and Dr. Faber this past Friday (Nov. 21). The negligence and wrongful death claims are now set for trial in June 2026, unless a settlement is reached before then.
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The various summary judgment orders did, however, trim away portions of the lawsuit that sought damages for the pain and suffering Carter experienced before his death. The judge said these are claims that only Carter’s estate representative has the right to bring, not his now four-year-old son, Princeton Lyric Carter.
That means that if the lawsuit indeed goes to trial in June, the child can only seek financial damages from the doctors and pharmacies for harm he himself suffered from Carter’s death. This includes loss of financial support and emotional damage from not getting to know his father.
In a statement to
Billboard
on Monday (Nov. 24), the Carter family’s attorney
Marc Lazo
said his team is now “hopeful that the defendants will realize the magnitude of their liability and enter into good-faith settlement negotiations accordingly.”
Lawyers for the doctors and pharmacies did not immediately return requests for comment.
Carter got his start opening for the
Backstreet Boys
, of which his older brother
Nick Carter
was a member, in the late 1990s. He later became a teen heartthrob in his own right, with his 2000 album
Aaron’s Party (Come and Get It)
peaking at No. 4 and spending 67 weeks on the Billboard 200.
Carter was
open later in life
about struggling with substance abuse. The singer did multiple stints in rehab, and he had been attending outpatient therapy in the months leading up to his death.
