Las Vegas family suing The Orleans casino, apartment after mom dies from Legionnaires’ disease

By Jarah Wright

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    LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A family has filed a lawsuit against The Orleans Hotel And Casino, Coast Hotels And Casinos, and a Las Vegas apartment complex after a woman died from Legionnaires’ Disease.

The incident stems from a Legionella bacteria outbreak between December 16, 2022 and March 4, 2023.

Two guests that stayed at The Orleans reported cases to the Southern Nevada Health District, which did an environmental study of the facility, which indicated the presence of Legionella.

The Orleans officials told me as soon as they found out, they began additional environmental testing of their water system and the hotel started implementing remediation procedures and a proactive water management plan.

Between December 2022 and March 2023, Bettinna Brown-Morales visited The Orleans and she was also living at the Harbor Island Apartments, which has since been rebranded as The Harmon at 370.

According to the lawsuit, the complex had “a well-documented history of severe neglect, unsafe living conditions, and maintenance failures, including water leaks, black mold, and infrastructure disrepair.”

Attorneys add that black mold and Legionella bacteria were present in Brown-Morales’ bathroom sink and shower water at her apartment.

The family of Brown-Morales claims that within days of being exposed to the bacteria, she experienced shortness of breath, fever, chills, and body aches.

On February 16, 2023, she was rushed to the emergency room in critical condition and was diagnosed with Legionella pneumonia and placed on a ventilator. She died on March 4, 2023.

Her family states they didn’t know of the link between her exposure to the bacteria until after her death.

District court records show that no hearings in the case have been scheduled, as of Tuesday afternoon.

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