A new wrongful death lawsuit claims 33-year-old Andrew P. Quintana died of a fentanyl overdose inside the North Las Vegas Community Correctional Center in January 2024 after jailers allegedly skipped basic checks and ignored warning signs that he was in medical trouble.
The 25-page complaint, filed Jan. 8 by Quintana’s parents and his estate, says he was arrested and booked on Jan. 2, 2024, and found unresponsive in his cell eight days later. The Clark County coroner ruled his death an accident caused by fentanyl toxicity. The suit names the City of North Las Vegas, its police department and medical contractor NaphCare as defendants, according to the Las Vegas Review‑Journal.
NaphCare spokesperson Dana Jackson told reporters the company is "confident in the quality of care provided to our patients." The lawsuit, however, alleges jail and medical staff missed escalating signs of opioid distress and delayed calling for emergency help, according to the Las Vegas Review‑Journal.
What the complaint alleges
The filing says Quintana’s intake screening failed to identify his medical issues or substance use history and that staff did not put him on heightened observation, even though he was arrested on drug-related charges. The complaint further claims that mandatory welfare checks, cell searches and contraband sweeps were skipped, leaving him exposed to fentanyl while in the "exclusive control" of jail staff and contractors.
According to the suit, officers also did not summon emergency medical care in a timely manner once Quintana showed signs of serious distress.
Claims, counsel and damages
The lawsuit was filed by Andrew S. Quintana and Angela Quintana, acting as special administrator of their son's estate. It seeks compensatory damages in excess of $15,000 for funeral and burial costs, along with punitive damages. Court records show the family is represented by attorney Jonathan Lee of the Richard Harris Law Firm.
Contractor liability and past litigation
NaphCare, a Birmingham-based private contractor that provides intake screening, detoxification and monitoring in jails around the country, is also named as a defendant. Private health providers are often pulled into civil suits after in-custody deaths, and NaphCare has been involved in prior Nevada litigation over jail medical care, according to federal court filings on Justia.
Why this matters
Public health experts and the U.S. Department of Justice have warned that people in jail face especially high risks of overdose and severe withdrawal. They have urged facilities to strengthen intake screening, provide structured withdrawal management and keep naloxone close at hand. The Justice Department recently rolled out guidance on how jails should manage substance withdrawal, a resource advocates regularly cite when pressing for tighter medical protocols in lockups, according to Corrections1.
The Quintana complaint is newly filed and will move through District Court. City officials told reporters they do not comment on pending litigation, and NaphCare said it had not yet been formally served, per reporting. Attorneys for the family say they expect discovery to scrutinize intake records, surveillance logs and emergency medical response procedures at the North Las Vegas Community Correctional Center as the case proceeds.
