'AVOIDABLE TRAGEDY'

Lawsuit Holds Restaurant Liable for Hallmark Star’s Death

The wrongful death suit alleges Michael Heslin’s death could have been avoided had the restaurant administered life-saving CPR.

A wrongful death lawsuit filed Thursday claims that the death of a Hallmark star could have been prevented had the restaurant administered CPR in a timely manner. In June 2024, 35-year-old Lioness actor Michael Heslin suffered a heart attack at Javier’s, a Las Vegas Mexican restaurant operated by ARIA Resort and Casino. Heslin’s husband Scotty Dynamo, 36, filed the lawsuit alleging restaurant staff failed to provide any life-saving measures. According to the suit obtained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, restaurant workers “forcefully interfered” to prevent a female diner from performing CPR and did not retrieve an automated external defibrillator. Heslin’s friends were also “forcefully removed” from the building as employees “threatened to arrest” those who attempted to save Heslin’s life. Employees allegedly confronted friends who attempted to record the incident and “demanded” to delete said videos. Heslin died a week later in what the suit described as “an avoidable tragedy.” The filing stated that the defendant’s “failures...proximately caused or substantially contributed to Michael’s preventable death.” The cause of death was not listed. The suit alleges five counts of wrongful death and gross negligence and seeks minimum $30,000 for funeral expenses and punitive damages. The Daily Beast has reached out to MGM Resorts, which operates ARIA, for comment.