Movie star Michael Heslin tragically died of a heart attack during a birthday trip to Las Vegas, with a new lawsuit claiming restaurant staff failed to administer CPR.
Heslin, known for his roles in the Zoe Saldana series Lioness and the TV movie The Holiday Plan, suffered cardiac arrest while dining at Javier’s Restaurant at the ARIA Hotel on the Strip in June 2024.
According to a wrongful death lawsuit filed by his husband, Scotty Dynamo, on September 18 in Clark County District Court, restaurant staff allegedly did not provide any life-saving measures during the emergency.
Heslin’s husband alleges that restaurant staff failed to provide aid during the medical emergency.
The lawsuit, obtained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, claims that employees “forcefully interfered” to prevent a female diner from performing CPR, despite Heslin showing “obvious signs of a medical emergency.” Staff also allegedly did not retrieve an available automated external defibrillator (AED).
According to the suit, Heslin’s friends were “forcefully removed” from the restaurant while employees threatened to arrest or trespass anyone attempting to help. Friends who tried to record the incident were reportedly confronted and “demanded” to delete any videos.
Heslin, known for his roles in the Zoe Saldana series Lioness and the TV movie The Holiday Plan, died on July 2, 2024, a week after the incident at the upscale Mexican restaurant. The lawsuit does not list an official cause of death.
“Michael’s death was an avoidable tragedy. Defendant’s failures, individually and cumulatively, proximately caused or substantially contributed to Michael’s preventable death,” the suit states.
The lawsuit alleges five counts: wrongful death, loss of consortium, negligence, negligent hiring, retention, supervision, and training, as well as gross negligence. It is seeking more than $30,000 in damages, along with funeral expenses and punitive damages.
In a heartfelt Instagram post at the time, Heslin’s husband described the death as a total shock, saying Heslin was “young, in perfect health, and the doctors have no explanation for what happened.” He added that the couple had been “in the early stages of starting a family” and would often share favorite baby names for their future children.
A manager at the restaurant did not respond immediately to requests for comment. MGM Resorts International, which operates ARIA, was also contacted for comment.
