Aaron Carter Wrongful Death Case Reaches Settlement With Psychiatrist, But Legal Fight Isn’t Over

Nearly three years after Aaron Carter’s death, part of the legal battle surrounding his overdose has quietly reached a turning point, though the case itself is far from over.

Court filings reveal that Amen Clinics and psychiatrist Dr. John Faber have agreed to pay a “confidential sum” to settle wrongful death claims brought by Carter’s family on behalf of his four-year-old son. The agreement resolves allegations that Carter was overprescribed Xanax in the lead-up to his 2022 death, but it does not include any admission of wrongdoing.

The settlement amount remains undisclosed, but filings indicate it falls in the ballpark of what the family might have recovered at trial, reportedly less than $325,000.

Importantly, the defendants continue to deny liability. Their legal team maintains that Carter’s death was not caused by Xanax, but by difluoroethane, a gas found in compressed air canisters.

Still, according to Michael Hamilton Kugler, Litigation Director at GOLDLAW, it can signal risk when defendants agree to pay.

“Readers can reasonably infer that the defendants recognized a significant risk that a jury would find the defendants responsible,” Kugler explained. “Many settlements also reflect the parties’ desire to control the detail of information that is available to the public, which would inevitably be exposed by a public trial.”

“Neither side has to be wrong for a settlement to make sense — it just has to make more sense than a trial,” said Emily Mehr, Managing Partner at Sweet James, who is not involved in the case.

“The family wants accountability and financial security for Aaron's son. The medical providers want to avoid years of depositions, bad press, and the unpredictability of a jury,” she explained.

For Carter’s family, avoiding a prolonged trial may also spare them from reliving painful details in a public forum, an especially significant factor given that his young son is the beneficiary.

Other defendants — including dentist Jason Mirabile, Walgreens, and a Santa Monica pharmacy — have not settled and are expected to go to trial in October. Like Amen Clinics, they argue that the level of Xanax in Carter’s system was not sufficient to cause his death.

The case stems from Carter’s drowning at age 34, when he was found in a bathtub with drugs in his system. His family alleges that multiple medical providers failed to properly monitor or question his prescriptions.

Because Carter’s son is a minor, the settlement must still be approved by a judge before it becomes final.

“What can't be avoided — because California law doesn't allow it — is the court approval process required when the beneficiary is a minor,” Mehr added. “That approval process is what generated the public court filing people are reading about now.”