Movie star Michael Heslin died suddenly after suffering a heart attack during a birthday trip to Las Vegas — when the restaurant failed to swiftly perform CPR, according to a new lawsuit.
The actor, who starred in the Zoe Saldana series “Lioness” and TV movie “The Holiday Plan,” went into cardiac arrest while dining at Javier’s Restaurant at the ARIA Hotel on the Strip in June 2024.
Staff at the restaurant allegedly failed to perform any life-saving measures during the medical emergency, according to a wrongful death lawsuit filed by his husband, Scotty Dynamo, on Sept. 18 in the Clark County District Court.
The restaurant workers “forcefully interfered” to stop a female diner from performing CPR, despite Heslin “exhibiting obvious signs of a medical emergency,” the suit, obtained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, charges.
They also allegedly failed to retrieve an automated external defibrillator (AED) on hand.
Heslin’s friends, meanwhile, were “forcefully removed” from the building while employees “threatened to arrest and/or trespass” anyone trying to save his life, the suit claims.
Friends tried to record what happened but were allegedly confronted by employees who “demanded” that any videos of what happened be deleted.
The actor died on July 2, 2024, a week after the incident at the high-end Mexican restaurant. An official cause of death is not listed in the lawsuit.
“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 reads.
It alleges five counts of wrongful death; loss of consortium; negligence; negligent hiring, retention, supervision and training; as well as gross negligence — and is seeking in excess of $30,000, funeral expenses and punitive damages.
In a heartbroken Instagram post at the time, Heslin’s husband said that the death had been a total shock, and that his spouse was “young, in perfect health, and the doctors have no explanation for what happened.”
He said the couple were “in the early stages of starting a family and would regularly share our favorite baby names for our future kids.”
A manager for the restaurant did not respond immediately to requests for comment.
The Post also contacted MGM Resorts International, which operates ARIA, for comment.
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