Surgeon who was found dead in his Manhattan apartment was being sued by an ex-Giants player for botching a 2014 surgery that ended his career

  • Dr Dean Lorich was found by his 11-year-old daughter on bathroom floor Sunday 
  • It was revealed Monday that he was being sued by ex-Giants player Michael Cox
  • Cox broke his leg while playing for the Giants in game against Seahawks in 2014
  • Lorich was assigned to perform surgery on Cox a day after he was injured 
  • Cox's lawyer claims that Lorich fixed Cox's fractured fibula, but he didn't properly treat his injured talus, a major ankle bone
  • Cox had surgeries with other doctors, but his career was ruined, the suit claims
  • Police said they are treating the renowned doctor's death as a suicide 
  • Lorich, a married father-of-three girls, was the associate director of the Orthopedic Trauma Service at Hospital for Special Surgery
  • He cared for U2 frontman Bono following 2014 bicycling accident in Central Park

The famed surgeon who was found dead in his New York apartment on Sunday was being sued by a former Giants player for allegedly botching a 2014 surgery that ended his career. 

Michael Cox was drafted to the New York Giants in 2013. He played two seasons with the team before suffering a broken leg while playing against the Seattle Seahawks in November 2014. 

Cox, now 29, said he had been under Dr Dean Lorich's care since the fall of 2014, according to a lawsuit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court.

Lorich was assigned to perform surgery on Cox the day after the injury, according to the New York Daily News.

Dr Dean Lorich was found dead with a knife in his chest in his Park Avenue apartment building Sunday
Cox was drafted to the New York Giants in 2013. He played two seasons with the team before suffering a broken leg while playing against the Seattle Seahawks in November 2014

Dr Dean Lorich was found dead with a knife in his chest in his Park Avenue apartment building on Sunday. It was revealed on Monday that he was being sued by former Giants player, Michael Cox (right), for allegedly botching a 2014 surgery that ended his career 

Cox (pictured), now 29, said he had been under Dr Dean Lorich's care since the fall of 2014, according to a lawsuit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court. Lorich was assigned to perform surgery on Cox the day after the injury

Cox (pictured), now 29, said he had been under Dr Dean Lorich's care since the fall of 2014, according to a lawsuit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court. Lorich was assigned to perform surgery on Cox the day after the injury

The surgeon was able to fix Cox's fractured fibula, but he didn't properly treat his injured talus, a major ankle bone, Cox's lawyer, Steven North, told the newspaper. 

'It got 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,' North said. 

Cox, who still hopes to work in the sports industry, is seeking unspecified damages. 

He signed a $2.3 million contract with the Giants at the time, but North told the Daily News that Lorich likely wouldn't have been responsible for paying a settlement to Cox because he was covered by the hospital's insurance policy.

Lorich was found dead with a knife in his chest inside his Manhattan apartment while his 11-year-old daughter was at home.

The death of the 54-year-old surgeon is being treated as a suicide after his body was found in the bathroom of the Park Avenue apartment he shared with his family.

Police said the death was being treated as a suicide, though no note was found. His body was discovered by Lorich's daughter. His wife, Deborah (left), was out playing tennis

Police said the death was being treated as a suicide, though no note was found. His body was discovered by Lorich's daughter. His wife, Deborah (left), was out playing tennis

Lorich's body was discovered in his Park Avenue building near East 96th Street, police said

Lorich's body was discovered in his Park Avenue building near East 96th Street, police said

Lorich's wife, Deborah, was playing tennis at the time.

The NYPD said that there were no signs of forced entry at the apartment, and have hinted he had been 'under some personal stress'.

His daughter alerted the doorman of the apartment building after she found her father's lifeless body on Sunday. The doorman then called 911. 

It was not clear if the doctor was under medication or had been suffering from depression.

At one hospital, doctors were reportedly overheard gossiping that Lorich had been fired on Friday. However, Dailymail.com was not able to verify that claim.

A spokesperson for the Hospital for Special Surgery told the DailyMail.com that they were informed of Lorich's death on Sunday by the NYPD. 

'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 spokesperson added. 

Lorich had a storied career, saving the lives of celebrities and members of both the NYPD and FDNY. He had also volunteered to operate in Germany on soldiers injured in combat and led a relief effort in Haiti for 2010 earthquake victims

Lorich had a storied career, saving the lives of celebrities and members of both the NYPD and FDNY. He had also volunteered to operate in Germany on soldiers injured in combat and led a relief effort in Haiti for 2010 earthquake victims

Lorich worked at New York Presbyterian hospital. The hospital's website says he was the Associate Director for Orthopaedic Trauma Service at the Hospital for Special Surgery and New York Presbyterian

Lorich worked at New York Presbyterian hospital. The hospital's website says he was the Associate Director for Orthopaedic Trauma Service at the Hospital for Special Surgery and New York Presbyterian

According to the New York Daily News one of Lorich's colleagues spoke to the doorman of his building and fell to her knees in prayer after hearing of the terrible news.

'This is horrible, this is horrible. I don't believe this,' the woman said before kneeling and crossing herself.

Lorich, who was the dad of three girls, was the associate director of the Orthopedic Trauma Service at the Hospital for Special Surgery, as well as the Chief of the Orthopedic Trauma Service at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.

Lorich treated U2 singer Bono (pictured) after a cycling accident in Central Park in 2014

Lorich treated U2 singer Bono (pictured) after a cycling accident in Central Park in 2014

He had a storied career, saving the lives of celebrities and members of both the NYPD and FDNY.

Lorich was in the operating room when U2 frontman Bono was badly injured in a cycling accident in Central Park in 2014.

The rock star lost control of his bike when he swerved to avoid another cyclist and landed on his face, fracturing his eye socket, shoulder and elbow.

Lorich performed several surgeries on the singer.

He also volunteered to operate in Germany on soldiers injured in combat and led a relief effort in Haiti for 2010 earthquake victims, according to The Hospital for Special Surgery.  

'He was a good doctor, and a good man. He saved and helped so many people. He gave me back my life, and my family and I are all devastated,' Matt Long, 51, a firefighter who was run over by a bus, told the Daily News.

'He came to my wedding. He was part of my life...This guy did so much for me.' 

'He sacrificed his whole life to help other people, and I happen to be one of them,' Long said. 

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