Andrea Hollingsworth Lawsuit: $1.2M ADA Settlement and Reforms

The Andrea Hollingsworth lawsuit ended in February 2026 when the North Las Vegas City Council approved a $1.2 million settlement with a deaf mother whose 11-year-old twin daughters were pressed into service as police interpreters before an officer forced her to the ground and handcuffed her during an April 2021 stop.¹ Hollingsworth was never charged with any crime.²

What Happened on April 7, 2021

Hollingsworth and her twin daughters were sitting in a vehicle on Ragged Robin Court in North Las Vegas, waiting for a friend, when officers approached them while investigating a harassment report.² The responding officer, Michael Rose, was wearing a neck gaiter that covered his face, making it impossible for Hollingsworth to read his lips.³ She and her children told him she was deaf and asked him to communicate through written notes. He refused.¹

Instead, Rose repeatedly directed the 11-year-old girls to relay his commands to their mother. Body camera footage later showed officers asking the children to translate at least a dozen times over roughly 30 minutes.² The department had sign language and oral interpreting services available around the clock. No interpreter was called.⁴

Rose then forced Hollingsworth out of her vehicle, shoved her to the ground, and handcuffed her hands behind her back, which also prevented her from signing.³ One of the daughters can be heard on video asking, “How can she sign with her hands behind her?” Both children were screaming and crying for their mother. Officers told them their mother was being “uncooperative” and instructed them to “talk some sense into” her.⁴ In his report, Rose described Hollingsworth’s attempts to use American Sign Language as “constant erratic hand movements.”²

The Federal Lawsuit

In December 2021, the National Association of the Deaf and McLetchie Law filed suit on behalf of Hollingsworth and her daughters in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada.⁵ The case, No. 2:21-cv-02230, was assigned to Judge Cristina D. Silva.⁶ Defendants included the City of North Las Vegas, the police chief, and the officers involved.⁷

The complaint alleged violations of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and the First, Fourth, and Fourteenth Amendments. Specific claims included failure to provide effective communication, failure to secure a qualified interpreter, unreasonable use of force, and the improper use of minor children as interpreters.⁸

The $1.2 Million Settlement

The parties reached a settlement through mediation late in 2025.⁹ The North Las Vegas City Council voted to approve the $1.2 million payout on February 18, 2026, covering Hollingsworth and her two daughters.¹ No public admission of liability was reported.

Attorney Maggie McLetchie, who represented the family, said, “We are glad we were able to resolve the case for our clients, but we hope North Las Vegas police officers never repeat this kind of abuse.”⁷

What Changed at the Department

The North Las Vegas Police Department reported two changes after the incident. All officers now receive annual mandatory deaf sensitivity training, and the department has contracted with ASL Communications to dispatch sign language interpreters to scenes when needed.³ During the litigation, other officers testified that no such training existed at the time of the 2021 encounter. Some referred to the new mandatory program as the “Officer Rose” training.⁷

The Nevada Deaf Black Advocates Board called the settlement “a step in the right direction” but said it “highlights the urgent need for increased awareness, comprehensive training, and meaningful accountability,” urging that the department’s new measures be treated as “a foundation, not a finish line.”¹

Why the Conduct Ran Afoul of the ADA

Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act requires state and local law enforcement to communicate with deaf individuals as effectively as they do with hearing people. Officers must give primary consideration to the person’s preferred method of communication, whether that is a qualified sign language interpreter, written notes, or assistive technology. Federal guidance specifically warns against using family members or friends as interpreters unless the situation is urgent and no other option exists.¹⁰

The ACLU of Nevada called the use of Hollingsworth’s children a “clear violation” of the ADA. Staff attorney Nikki Levy said, “You don’t often see violations that seem this clear.”¹¹ Howard Rosenblum, CEO of the National Association of the Deaf, said minors should never serve as interpreters because they lack training and impartiality, calling the practice “automatically ineffective communication under federal law.”²

1
8 News Now. North Las Vegas OKs $1.2M Settlement After Deaf Woman Files ADA Complaint Against Police
2
Las Vegas Review-Journal. Video Shows Deaf Woman’s Kids Interpreting for North Las Vegas Police
3
KTNV. Family of Deaf Woman Settles Lawsuit With North Las Vegas Police for $1.2 Million
4
USA Today. Las Vegas Police Asked Deaf Woman’s Kids to Interpret, Bodycam Shows
5
KRDO. Lawsuit Filed Against NLVPD After Deaf Woman Detained, Daughters Told to Interpret
6
CourtListener. Hollingsworth v. City of North Las Vegas
7
Las Vegas Review-Journal. NLV to Pay $1.2M to Settle Lawsuit With Deaf Woman Whose Children Police Used to Try to Interpret Before She Was Wrongly Detained
8
National Association of the Deaf. Police Sued for Acts Against Deaf Mother and Twin Daughters
9
FOX 5 Vegas. North Las Vegas to Pay $1.2 Million Settlement Over 2021 Incident With Its Police
10
U.S. Department of Justice. Attachment D: Officers Guide
11
Las Vegas Review-Journal. ACLU: Police Using Deaf Woman’s Kids to Interpret a Clear ADA Violation