Aaron Carter’s estate has settled its wrongful death claims against Walgreens and Santa Monica Medical Plaza Pharmacy. The two pharmacies filled the Xanax prescriptions at the center of the case before Carter drowned in a bathtub in 2022 at age 34. Attorneys announced the settlement in an October 15 court filing, and while the terms were not made public, the estate’s lawyer Marc Lazo said the family is satisfied with how it was resolved.
The lawsuit alleged that a psychiatrist and a dentist overprescribed Xanax and that the pharmacies filled those prescriptions without checking for signs of abuse. The psychiatry clinic settled its portion back in May. That leaves dentist Jason Mirabile as the final defendant still fighting the claims, and he is scheduled to go to trial in January. His attorneys reportedly plan to argue Carter was an absentee father, a move meant to limit damages tied to his son, and Lazo called that approach disappointing, saying Mirabile seems more focused on defaming Carter than resolving the case.
For fans who grew up with Carter’s music, the settlement brings one part of a long legal saga to a close while the January trial promises more uncomfortable headlines. The case highlights real questions about how addictive prescriptions get approved and filled, and where accountability lands when something goes wrong. Do you think pharmacies should share the blame, or does responsibility sit with the prescribers?
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Local Lawton
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