North Las Vegas, Nevada — The city of North Las Vegas has agreed to pay $1.2 million to settle a lawsuit filed by a deaf mother who said police officers used excessive force during an encounter in 2021 after she was unable to hear their verbal commands.
The lawsuit was brought by Andrea “Dre” Hollingsworth, a deaf mother who alleged that officers from the North Las Vegas Police Department arrested and handcuffed her after misinterpreting her inability to hear instructions as noncompliance.
According to court documents and reports from the incident, Hollingsworth was sitting in her vehicle with her 11-year-old twin daughters when officers approached her while investigating a harassment complaint. Officers reportedly issued verbal commands, but Hollingsworth, who is deaf, could not hear them.
Hollingsworth attempted to communicate with the officers and requested that they write down their instructions so she could understand what was happening. The lawsuit claims officers ignored those requests and instead escalated the situation.
Body camera footage from the incident reportedly shows officers pulling Hollingsworth from her vehicle, pushing her to the ground, and placing her in handcuffs while her daughters looked on. She was arrested for alleged noncompliance but was never formally charged with a crime.
Civil rights attorneys representing Hollingsworth argued that the officers failed to provide reasonable accommodations for a person with a disability, potentially violating protections under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Following legal negotiations, the North Las Vegas City Council approved the $1.2 million settlement, bringing the case to a close without the city admitting wrongdoing.
As part of the resolution, the police department has committed to additional training for officers on interacting with deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals. The department said it plans to strengthen procedures for using written communication and accessing interpreters when necessary.
Advocates for the deaf community say the case highlights ongoing challenges faced by deaf individuals during interactions with law enforcement.
Hollingsworth’s legal team stated that the settlement represents an important step toward accountability and improved police practices, while also acknowledging the emotional toll the incident had on Hollingsworth and her children.
City officials have not commented extensively on the case but indicated that policy and training updates are intended to help officers better handle similar situations in the future.
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