Family sues Snapchat in Las Vegas woman’s overdose death
The family of a 20-year-old woman who overdosed on fentanyl has sued Snapchat alleging the woman connected with her drug dealer over the social media platform.
In March 2021, Las Vegas resident Avianna Cavanaugh was found dead in her boyfriend’s bedroom. The Clark County coroner’s office ruled Cavanaugh died from the combined toxic effects of fentanyl and hydroxyzine.
A lawsuit filed in District Court Wednesday named Snap, INC., the company that owns Snapchat, as defendant in the wrongful death case.
“We are working diligently to stop drug dealers from abusing our platform, and deploy technologies to proactively identify and shut down dealers, support law enforcement efforts to help bring dealers to justice, and educate our community and the general public about the dangers of fentanyl,” a Snap spokesperson said in a statement.
Cavanaugh had purchased counterfeit pills containing fentanyl from a Snapchat dealer later identified as Christopher Gonzalez. Cavanaugh believed she was purchasing either Xanax and/or Oxycodone, according to the lawsuit.
Attorneys from the Law Office of Eglet Adams who are representing Cavanaugh’s family declined to comment.
In October 2022, Gonzalez was sentenced to four to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to felony counts of voluntary manslaughter and sale of a controlled substance.
Prosecutors charged Gonzalez and his girlfriend Tylar Hager, 24, with second-degree murder in connection with Cavanaugh’s death.
Hager pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Uniform Controlled Substances Act. She was sentenced to probation a month after Gonzalez was sentenced, court records show.
The lawsuit alleged that Snapchat facilitates the sale of deadly drugs through the app’s features including disappearing messages, recommended content and the quick add feature.
It went on to allege that Snapchat targets young, impressionable people and that Cavanaugh died because of “Snapchat’s defective design and negligent operation.”
Contact David Wilson at dwilson@reviewjournal.com.
