Lewis' Widow, Doctor Settle

April 27, 1999 / 8:45 PM EDT / AP

One of four doctors accused of malpractice in the death of Celtics star Reggie Lewis has reached a settlement with Lewis' widow, a legal source told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Dr. John Rutherford, now a cardiologist in Texas, settled with Donna Harris-Lewis, the source said. Terms of the settlement, also reported Tuesday by The Boston Globe, were not disclosed.

Opening statements in the lawsuit against the remaining three doctors were scheduled for Monday.

One of the defendants, Dr. Gilbert Mudge, claims that Lewis told him he used cocaine, which could have contributed to his death. Harris-Lewis denies her husband ever used the drug and said she sued to clear his name.

In addition to Mudge, the suit names Drs. Mark Creager and Peter Friedman, who, like Rutherford, were consultants. Calls to Rutherford's lawyer were not immediately returned.

Robert Harley, an attorney for Harris-Lewis, declined to comment on the reported settlement Tuesday, citing a judge's order not to speak publicly about the case.

Lewis died at age 27 while shooting baskets at Brandeis University in July 1993.

Three months earlier, he collapsed during a playoff game and a team of New England Baptist Hospital doctors diagnosed him with a life-threatening heart ailment.

Lewis transferred to Brigham and Women's Hospital, where a team led by Mudge diagnosed him with a less-harmful neurological condition.

An autopsy revealed a badly damaged heart.