Hogan estate seeks 90-day extension for malpractice review

The family of wrestling star Hulk Hogan filed a petition in Pinellas County last week seeking a 90 day extension of Florida’s statute of limitations as it investigates whether to pursue a medical malpractice lawsuit linked to a neck procedure the 71 year old underwent in May. The filing, submitted on behalf of Hogan’s widow, Melanie Sky Daily, his son Nick Bollea and the estate’s financial adviser, asks for additional time to review medical records and consult experts before deciding whether to name defendants.

According to the petition, the family intends to explore potential claims involving Tampa General Hospital, Morton Plant Hospital, two Florida based physicians and other health care providers. No formal lawsuit has been filed and no defendants have been named. Under Florida law, medical malpractice claims generally must be filed within two years of the incident or its discovery, and no later than four years after the alleged malpractice; the 90 day petitionary extension preserves an extra three months while the estate gathers information.

Daily has publicly suggested that complications from the May surgery contributed to her husband’s death, saying the wrestler’s phrenic...