Lawsuit alleges Las Vegas restaurant failed to perform CPR during Heslin death

Actor Michael Heslin died in June 2024 in Las Vegas after suffering a heart attack during a birthday trip, according to a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by his husband. The suit alleges that Javier’s Restaurant at the ARIA Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip failed to administer life-saving measures, including CPR, and did not retrieve an automated external defibrillator, potentially contributing to his death.

The complaint, filed Sept. 18, accuses restaurant staff of forcefully interfering to stop a diner from performing potentially life-saving CPR despite Heslin exhibiting obvious signs of a medical emergency. It also alleges that staff did not retrieve the AED on hand and that Heslin’s friends were forcefully removed from the building as he lay dying. The lawsuit lists five counts, including wrongful death; loss of consortium; negligence; negligent hiring, retention, supervision and training; and gross negligence.

Heslin was known for his work with Hallmark and on television, including a starring role in the Zoe Saldana-led series Lioness and appearances in the television movie The Holiday Plan. The case centers on the circumstances surrounding his death in Las Vegas and the role, if any, that restaurant staff played in the lack of timely medical intervention.

The suit documents five counts: wrongful death; loss of consortium; negligence; negligent hiring, retention, supervision and training; and gross negligence, highlighting alleged failures in staffing, supervision and response protocols at a high-traffic casino dining venue on the Strip.

Javier’s Restaurant is located at the ARIA Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip, where Heslin was visiting for a birthday trip when the medical emergency occurred. The filing on Sept. 18 marks the latest public action in Heslin’s death and the broader questions it raises about in-venue emergency readiness at major hospitality properties in Las Vegas.