The family of WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan is reportedly exploring a potential medical malpractice lawsuit against the doctors and medical staff who treated him prior to his death earlier this year, according to new court documents obtained by FOX 13 News.

Hogan's wife, Sky Daily, and his son, Nick, filed a petition in Pinellas County, Florida, on Tuesday (September 30) to extend the statue of limitations to an additional 90 days for an investigation of possible medical malpractice related to his death. The probe includes doctors and health care providers at Morton Plant Hospital, where Hogan died at the age of 71 on July 24, as well as Tampa General Hospital, where he also received treatment.

In August, Daily told TMZ Sports that her late husband's phrenic nerve was "compromised" during a recent procedure and a completed autopsy didn't disclose those results. An occupational therapist who was present at Hogan's Florida home said he stopped breathing when first responders arrived at the scene and a surgeon "severed" his phrenic nerve during surgery, according to a police report described by TMZ Sports as being on "lockdown."

Police who were present at the home they discussed this information with the therapist, with the discussions caught on bodycam footage. The Cleveland Clinic states that the phrenic nerve “controls your diaphragm and is essential to your ability to breathe.”

Hogan's cause of death was officially ruled to be a heart attack, according to Pinellas County Forensic Science Center documents obtained by Page Six on July 31. The legendary wrestler reportedly died from acute myocardial infarction, which occurs when blood flow to the heart is suddenly blocked, resulting in tissue damage, the documents confirmed.

Hogan reportedly had a history of atrial fibrillation (AFib), which is categorized in patients with an irregular and often rapid heart rate, as well as chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), a cancer that affects white blood cells, though the diagnosis that wasn't previously revealed to the public.

Hogan is one of the most well-known figures in the history of professional wrestling, leading WWE to become a global enterprise in the 1980s as the face of the company during its popularity boom. The late wrestler was a five-time WWE (then-WWF) Champion, which included a 1,474-day reign as the longest of the WrestleMania era and a six-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, where he was the leader of the New World Order as 'Hollywood' Hulk Hogan during his tenure with the now-defunct promotion.

Hogan was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame twice as both an individual wrestler and as a member of the nWo faction.

Community