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Ed McMahon sues hospital over injury

LOS ANGELES
Fri Jul 18, 2008 10:42pm EDT
Ed McMahon and his wife Pamela attend the premiere of ''The Simpsons Movie'' at the Mann Village theatre in Westwood, California, July 24, 2007. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Ed McMahon, the long-time sidekick to talk show host Johnny Carson, sued a Los Angeles hospital on Friday, claiming its doctors failed to diagnose his broken neck after a fall and discharged him without taking an X-ray.

U.S.  |  Entertainment  |  Television  |  People

McMahon, 85, also accused Cedars-Sinai Medical Center of botching two subsequent spine operations, and the entertainer claims to have suffered months of discomfort and pain.

Simi Singer, a spokeswoman for Cedars-Sinai declined to comment because the hospital had not received the lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court.

McMahon's lawsuit states that when he visited Cedars-Sinai after a March 2007 fall at the home of investor Robert Day he told a doctor he felt like a "bobble-head" doll because of his spine, but they still failed to perform an X-ray and as a result discharged him with a broken neck.

The lawsuit also named Day, accusing him of negligence over the condition of a ramp-like staircase at his property on which McMahon fell.

McMahon is most famous for his 30 years of introducing Carson with his trademark "Heeeeeere's Johnny." In the '80s and '90s McMahon hosted the popular TV talent show "Star Search."

In recent months McMahon sought to save his multimillion dollar Beverly Hills home from foreclosure, becoming one of the most prominent people to be caught up in the U.S. housing downturn and credit squeeze.

(Editing by Bob Tourtellotte and Todd Eastham)



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