09/25/2025
Hallmark movie star, 35, died on Vegas birthday trip after staff stopped woman performing CPR on him during medical emergency, lawsuit alleges ๐ณ
Michael Heslin passed away on July 2, 2024, two weeks after he celebrated his 35th birthday with his husband Scotty Dynamo and friends at Javier's restaurant at the ARIA Hotel on the Vegas Strip.
The actor had appeared in the Zoe Saldana-starring series Lioness and made-for-TV movie The Holiday Proposal Plan, and his husband said they were planning to start a family together before the tragedy struck.
In a newly filed wrongful death lawsuit against the restaurant, Heslin's passing was described as 'an avoidable tragedy' that was allegedly the result of 'failures' by the staff to perform lifesaving procedures.
The lawsuit, filed on September 18, says that Heslin was dining at the restaurant when he abruptly collapsed, leading his table to immediately yell for help as they placed him on the floor.
But the staff did not take any action despite Heslin 'exhibiting obvious signs of a medical emergency,' according to the lawsuit.
Another nearby patron then began performing CPR on the actor, but an employee 'forcefully interfered' and 'prevented her from continuing compressions on Michael and interrupted this lifesaving measure,' the filing claims.
Although an AED was in the restaurant, the lawsuit alleges that it was never retrieved, and states that Heslin's friends were 'forcefully removed' from the restaurant as the horror unfolded.
The lawsuit alleges five counts of wrongful death; loss of consortium; negligence; negligent hiring, retention, training and supervision; and gross negligence, per the Las Vegas Review Journal.
It is alleged that after the restaurant staff prevented the other patron from helping Heslin, his friends were 'threatened with arrest' for trying to step in to provide lifesaving efforts.
When Heslin's friends tried to record the incident, the restaurant employees 'demanded' their videos be deleted, according to the lawsuit.
The filing is seeking damages in excess of $30,000, funeral expenses, and punitive damages because Heslin's death was 'a direct and proximate result of Defendants' acts and omissions', it is claimed.
Heslin's husband said in a heartbreaking Instagram post following the actor's death that his passing came as a complete shock, saying that he was 'young, in perfect health, and the doctors have no explanation for what happened.'
'Michael was brilliant, selfless, talented, and a real-life guardian angel,' Dynamo wrote.
'He was the first person everyone would call to share good news with, and he was the perfect person to call if they needed a shoulder to lean on or the best advice.
'He truly was the sweetest, most caring, and loving man on earth, and he brought out the absolute best in everyone who had the pleasure to cross paths with him.'
Learn a life saving still and do not stop doing CPR.
