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Family files lawsuit after man dies after tennis match at Henderson gym

Updated July 11, 2025 - 1:13 pm

The family of a 24-year-old man who collapsed while playing tennis at a fitness center in Henderson and died soon after is suing the city, its Fire Department, and the gym where the death occurred.

Brandon Farber died suddenly after a July 2023 incident at Life Time Green Valley, where he suffered “seizure-like activity,” including a loss of consciousness and violent muscle contractions, according to the lawsuit.

Paramedics with the Henderson Fire Department responded, transporting Farber to Sunrise Hospital, where he died about an hour later.

The complaint, filed Wednesday by Farber’s father, Charles Farber, alleges that the first responders — despite being advised otherwise by Brandon Farber’s neurologist, who was playing tennis with him when he passed out — took him to a “much farther away” hospital, delaying his access to medical care and causing his death.

The suit said that Brandon Farber had been treated a year prior at St. Rose Dominican Hospital, which is about two miles away from Life Time Green Valley, after he was elbowed in the head while playing basketball. Sunrise Hospital is five times as far, according to Google Maps.

“The hospital (St. Rose) was only a two-to-three-minute drive,” said Sagar Raich, one of the attorneys representing the Farber family in the complaint. “Because of the delay, as the reports demonstrate, he was basically dead by the time he got to Sunrise, and now the family is destroyed by the loss of their only son.”

Raich added that the family is still mourning the loss and that they should be compensated for Brandon Farber’s wrongful death.

The complaint alleges that the Fire Department emergency medical technicians were negligent, naming Cody Morris, Joseph Mecham, Jermaine Williams, Daniel Pentkowski, Wilford Thomas, Jason Bateman, and Douglas Koopman as those who caused Brandon Farber’s death. Charles Farber is also suing the city of Henderson and the fire department for failing to train and supervise its employees.

According to the suit, Life Time’s facility layout is also to blame for Brandon Farber’s untimely transportation to the hospital.

“As a direct and proximate result of the defendants’ actions and/or omissions, there was a significant loss of time to treat the decedent,” the lawsuit read.

The city of Henderson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for Life Time Inc. could not be reached.

Contact Akiya Dillon at adillon@reviewjournal.com.

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