Adin Ross and his family are taking legal steps to keep the cause of death of the streamer’s sister, Madeline Ross, private. Adin, along with his parents Mark Ross and Jayne Frankel, filed a lawsuit late Monday (Mar. 9) against the Broward County Medical Examiner’s Office in an effort to stop the release of records connected to Madeline’s cause of death.
Madeline, 36, passed away on January 15, though the news didn’t surface publicly until TMZ reported it on March 3. The outlet stated that Broward’s Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed the death, and that confirmation is now central to the Ross family’s complaint.
The family claims the official report about Madeline’s death wasn’t provided to them until a day after TMZ published its article. According to the lawsuit, that sequence of events is a major concern.
“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.
The report says the article triggered widespread media attention that caused “significant harm” to the family. Among the reactions were online comments accusing Adin, without evidence, of “sacrific[ing] 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,” the filing adds.
The lawsuit argues that making Madeline’s cause of death public would “cause further irreparable harm” as media outlets race to “generate views.” Because of this, the family is asking the court to keep the report private. If that request is denied, they are seeking heavy redactions to protect sensitive details.
The complaint also hints that additional legal action could follow, potentially involving 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,” the document states.
The family’s attorney, Jeffrey Neiman of Mays Floch & Almeida, also released a statement addressing the situation.
“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.”
