Who is Dr Riley J Williams? Trevor Noah sues NY surgeon for botched procedure causing 'permanent' injuries
Trevor Noah, the host of 'The Daily Show', has sued a New York City hospital and an orthopaedic surgeon for negligence during a surgery on him in November 2020. The suit filed in Supreme Court in Manhattan against Hospital for Special Surgery, claims that Dr Riley Williams III, an orthopedic surgeon, botched an undisclosed operation on Noah last year.
In the filings, the 37-year-old comedian claims that the hospital and the surgeon were negligent in their treatment and care of him. The Daily Show presenter claimed to have been a patient of Dr Williams in 2020, and had the surgery on November 23 of that year. The nature of the surgery was not disclosed.
RELATED ARTICLES
Jon Stewart left ‘The Daily Show’ because he stopped finding things funny, says Trevor Noah
Noah's complaint claims that the hospital and surgeon failed to administer appropriate treatments and neglected to "discontinue some prescribed prescriptions." He even alleged that they did not do adequate tests. Noah was allegedly denied access to his customary profession for an extended period of time, according to the lawsuit.
As a result of the negligence, the document alleges, Noah "sustained permanent, severe and grievous injuries." Noah "was rendered sick, sore, lame and disabled; sustained severe and painful personal injuries; sustained severe nervous shock, mental anguish, severe emotional distress and great physical pain; was confined to bed and home for a long period of time; was compelled to undergo hospital and medical aid, treatment and attention; has suffered loss of enjoyment of life; was prevented from engaging in his usual occupation for a long period of time; and since some of his injuries are of a permanent nature, he will continue to suffer similar damages in the future," the court documents say. Trevor is seeking unspecified damages.
Dr Williams' biography indicates that he is "skilled in knee, shoulder, and elbow surgery."
A spokeswoman at the Hospital of Special Surgery, according to People, dismissed Noah's claims as "meritless." She added, “'HSS received a complaint filed on behalf of Mr Trevor Noah. We have shared with Mr Noah's attorney a detailed rebuttal to the claims, which are meritless. Due to HIPAA, we are restricted by law from addressing publicly specific aspects of the treatment of any patient.”
“The organization is dedicated to quality in the treatment we deliver to each of the more than 150,000 patients we serve each year, This commitment has made HSS the world's leading academic medical centre specialized in musculoskeletal health, consistently ranked number one in orthopaedics globally and nationally,” she added.
Trevor is expected to host the Grammy Awards in 2022. He was also the host in 2021. On January 31, 2022, the 64th Grammy Awards will be presented in Staples Center in Los Angeles. CBS Morning posted a video where Noah can be seen saying, "This year, the Grammys are going to be back. Hopefully, it’s gonna be the full show. Everybody is gonna be there. We’re excited to celebrate a record night and I’m gonna host."