The wife of late actor Bernie Mac is taking legal action against her husband's longtime doctor. According to the "Chicago Sun-Times," Rhonda McCullough has filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court seeking at least 50-thousand dollars. McCullough alleges that on July 17, 2008 dermatologist Rene M. Earles kept Bernie Mac at his clinic for nine hours rather than calling an ambulance to take him to the hospital. McCullough claims Earles' actions kick-started a series of health setbacks which ultimately caused Mac to die from pneumonia two years ago today. Earles acknowledges that he treated Mac on July 17th for lesions caused by his inflammatory lung disease, sarcoidosis, but says the actor appeared to be having a bad reaction to a drug given to him by a doctor at Northwestern University earlier in the day.Earles -- who says Mac's death has been very hard on him -- says he contacted Mac's doctor at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and learned that he was suffering from bilateral pneumonia. Earles proceeded to treat the "Ocean's Eleven" star for his reaction and then sent him to the hospital. He adds, quote, "He didn't die the next day, he didn't die in two days. He died in two weeks and he got over his original strain of pneumonia. He got another strain of pneumonia while he was in the hospital."
