Adin Ross and his family want to keep the cause of death of the streamer’s sister Madeline private — and they’re going to court to do it, according to documents viewed by Complex. Late Monday (Mar. 9), Adin, as well as his and Madeline’s parents Mark Ross and Jayne Frankel, filed a lawsuit against the Broward County Medical Examiner’s Office, seeking to block the release of records relating to Madeline Ross’ cause of death.
Madeline, 36, died on January 15, but her passing went unnoticed until TMZ broke the news on March 3. The outlet reported that the news was confirmed by Broward’s Medical Examiner’s Office, and it is this confirmation that Adin and his parents cite in their complaint.
They say that the office’s report about Madeline’s death wasn’t released to the family until the day after TMZ’s article came out. That, they continue, is a problem.
“At the time of that confirmation [to TMZ], no valid public records request could have been fulfilled because no final, signed, or releasable record existed,” the complaint reads.
That article, it continues, resulted in media coverage that led to “significant harm” to the family, including comments from readers alleging, without proof, Adin “sacrific[ed] his sister for fame.”
“Others asked why it couldn’t have been Adin passing instead of Madeline or insinuated that Madeline’s death was the result of Adin allegedly criticizing Israel,” it goes on.
The suit argues that releasing the report about Madeline’s cause of death would “cause further irreparable harm” to the family in the media’s rush to “generate views.” As a result, the family wants the report kept private. If that is not possible, they are asking for significant redactions.
The complaint contains a hint of possible further legal action, perhaps against TMZ.
“The Ross Family is currently considering all options available to address the disclosure of information to TMZ prior to the Broward County Medical Examiner’s Report being executed,” it reads.
The family’s attorney, Jeffrey Neiman of Mays Floch & Almeida, issued a statement.
“The Ross family is navigating an unimaginable loss,” he said. “Alarmingly, information about Madeline’s passing was publicly confirmed to a media outlet before the family had even received the final medical examiner’s report - depriving them of the opportunity to decide how to proceed in light of this tragedy.
“The family firmly believes that sensitive information about Madeline’s passing should be handled with the utmost care and respect - particularly by those entrusted with investigating it - not only during the ongoing investigation, but long after it concludes. Florida law recognizes the sensitivity of death related records, and the Ross family is simply asking the court to ensure that those protections, as well as Madeline’s dignity, are respected.”