Revealed: 'RHONY' Star's Doctor Dad Sent Text Messages to Mentally Ill Scientologist Warning 'Drugs Could Numb' Her — and Claimed Church's Dead Leader L. Ron Hubbard Was Supporting Her From Beyond The Grave
Text messages reveal communications between fashion designer Rebecca Minkoff's father, David Minkoff, and his patient, Whitney Mills, before she died by suicide.
Jun. 24 2024, Published 8:00 p.m. ET
David Minkoff, a doctor in the Church of Scientology and the father of fashion designer Rebecca Minkoff, warned a patient suffering from severe depression before she killed herself that "drugs could numb" her, and insisted she had the spiritual support of late Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, screenshots of text messages obtained by RadarOnline.com reveal.
According to a wrongful death lawsuit filed by family members last month in Pinellas County, Florida, Whitney Mills was 40 years old when she "attempted to set herself on fire before inflicting herself with a gunshot wound" on May 12, 2022.
Dr. David Minkoff, a Florida-based high-ranking Scientologist, is the father of upcoming Real Housewives of New York City star and fashion designer Rebecca Minkoff.
In the months leading up to her death, Mills, a top-ranking scientologist, was treated by Dr. Minkoff, who the family referred to as an "alternative medicine doctor." Minkoff, whose daughter recently joined the cast of Real Housewives of New York City, also holds a high rank in the church, and has been accused of malpractice in the past.
The physician "misdiagnosed [Mills] with cancer and Lyme Disease," and medical experts hired by her estate revealed that she was "actually suffering from severe anxiety, depression, brain fog, brain inflammation and a host of other problems," the lawsuit against the Church of Scientology alleged.
The family also accused Minkoff of "extorting" Mills for more than $20k for "highly questionable, 'alternative' treatments," rather than "properly treating her."
In February of 2022, Mills complained to Dr. Minkoff that "the pressure in my head is so intense."
In February 2022, she had been "suffering chronic daily debilitating headaches, hallucinations, depression, lethargy," and feeling like her "skin...was on fire," and sought help from Dr. Minkoff, the suit said.
She sent a text message complaining, "the pressure in my head is so intense," and asked, "Will this go away when the Lyme is gone?" Minkoff responded, "Yes. Did you start the ivermectin?"
Mills responded that she had started taking Ivermectin, which the doctor allegedly gave her to treat a parasite he diagnosed her with. She later "found out she did not have babesia," the suit said.
Minkoff allegedly prescribed Mills ivermectin for a parasite she did not have.
Meanwhile, "Mills' condition was so severe that she often found it difficult to leave the home or do regular daily activities such as bathing," per court docs.
After "begging Minkoff constantly" for help with her mental health, Mills wrote to her doctor in April 2022, "Is there anything else for the mental part? I’m seriously experiencing some mental illness. This is my biggest symptom is the mental part."
"The level of quackery in Dr. Minkoff’s response is nothing short of astounding," the family's lawyer argued, noting that the physician assured his patient that her condition "has no power over YOU. That's the truth. Eye of the tiger."
"You are loved," the doctor continued, "You have friends and LRH."
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Dr. Minkoff assured his patient that she had the support of late Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard.
Less than a month before her death, Mills sent another text message to Minkoff, reading, "Ok, is there anything else for the mental problems? I’m REALLY struggling with that part. This is the hardest part to be acting insane when I’m not.”
However, the lawsuit alleged the doctor "failed to refer Mills to a mental health care professional or prescribe appropriate medication," and that he "put his beliefs in Scientology above his Hippocratic oath and above his duties as a licensed physician in Florida."
Mills' family argued that if the church had not intervened on her care, "Mills would not have self-harmed."
Weeks before her death, Mills pleaded with Minkoff for help with her "mental problems," saying she was "REALLY struggling."
An autopsy revealed that Mills did not have Lyme disease, and that she "did not have a cancerous, life-threatening cyst, but rather a benign one" — a revelation the family argued Dr. Minkoff "would have learned" had he performed a differential diagnosis on his patient.
In the wake of the scandal, the embattled phsician was put “on notice," per legal requirements in Florida for defendants involved in malpractice suits, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
The church called Mills' death “an unfortunate tragedy," and denied the family's allegations.
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