Rehab let ‘highly vulnerable’ patient relapse until he died of overdose, CA suit says
A man agreed to enroll in a 24-hour, residential sober living program after his mother offered to help him following his release from jail, on the condition that he received substance use treatment.
When Justin Cartwright was admitted into a rehab facility in San Francisco in December 2023, his intake form listed him as a “highly vulnerable” patient, as he was struggling with addiction, according to a lawsuit over his death.
Cartwright, 30, had been experiencing homelessness with his girlfriend and two dogs when he sought treatment, the lawsuit says.
A day after arriving at the facility, Cartwright relapsed, according to a complaint provided to McClatchy News.
He overdosed on fentanyl, a potent opioid he said he found “lying around” the facility’s bathroom stall,” the complaint says.
Cartwright was hospitalized, then returned to the facility, where he’d relapse two more times, according to the complaint. His third relapse was fatal.
Within three weeks of beginning what was supposed to be drug detoxification and addiction treatment, Cartwright died of an overdose on Jan. 14, 2024, the complaint says.
He was last believed to be alive around 6 p.m. that evening, according to the March 27 filing in Superior Court.
Staff didn’t realize he died until more than 12 hours later, when employees found his body the next morning, the complaint says.
Cartwright’s parents say the facility’s operator, HealthRight 360, which runs several detox and addiction treatment programs in San Francisco, is to blame.
They’re suing the state health care provider over a “history of neglect” that they say led to their son’s death, accusing the company’s staff of failing to enforce its own policies on prohibiting access to drugs and alcohol.
The San Francisco Chronicle first reported on the lawsuit, which comes after the newspaper uncovered how four HealthRight 360 patients and one employee died of overdoses between March 2023 and April 2024.
The deaths stemming from conditions and a lack of supervision were revealed in an investigative report published by the newspaper.
HealthRight didn’t return McClatchy News’ request for comment April 1.
In a letter published Feb. 28, the organization defended its medical and behavioral health care services.
HealthRight said it cares for thousands of patients each year and that it is unable to comment on specific patients due to state and federal privacy laws.
Repeated relapses
Before his death, Cartwright served three months at the Madera County Jail, the lawsuit says. He was released the same month he was admitted into rehab, in December 2023.
Cartwright’s mother, Dawn Poole, wanted Cartwright to receive addiction treatment and offered to help him with housing and employment after his release from jail, according to the complaint.
She told Cartwright he could live with her “and offered him a job working at her husband’s airport parking business in their hometown in Dublin, Ireland,” as long as he underwent treatment beforehand, the complaint says.
Poole learned her son died when she saw his phone was located at the San Francisco Medical Examiner’s Office, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
HealthRight is accused of failing to notify Poole that he passed, according to the newspaper.
After Cartwright’s first overdose, he relapsed again on Jan. 7, 2024, the lawsuit says.
Testing showed he had fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine in his system, according to the lawsuit.
Following his first two relapses at HealthRight’s detox facility, he was transferred to a men’s residential treatment building, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
After his third relapse and fatal overdose, Cartwright was found face-down and bent over, with drug paraphernalia, including burned foil and a bag containing white powder, next to his body, according to the lawsuit.
“His body was evidently in an unusual position for a long time prior to being discovered, with notable red fluids including blood stains in the bedding in front of his body and on his face,” the complaint says.
‘Non-existent monitoring practices’
The lawsuit accuses HealthRight of touting its facilities and treatment programs as safe, despite mismanagement, neglect and failing to protect patients.
The complaint says these systemic flaws have facilitated and allowed drug use that’s been reported by staff and residents, as well as overdose deaths.
HealthRight’s employees have ignored company policies by failing to drug test residents, search belongings and monitor patients’ vital signs every hour, according to the complaint.
A state investigation revealed HealthRight received $65 million in funding from California but didn’t follow state regulations, the complaint notes.
‘Did they even care?’
After Cartwright died, Poole retrieved her son’s personal items from HealthRight employees, who are accused of listed his name as “Jason” instead of “Justin” on his possessions, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
“If they didn’t care enough to know his name, did they even care if he lived or died?” she told the newspaper.
With the lawsuit, Poole and Cartwright’s father, Michael Cartwright, demand a jury trial.
They’re seeking a judgment against HealthRight and are asking for more than $35,000 in damages, the complaint shows.
“When combined with the non-existent monitoring practices of (HealthRight), it created a dangerous milieu where clients would fatally overdose due (to) known shortcomings by (HealthRight) of their own policies, which went unchecked (for) many years,” the complaint says.
Addiction affects millions of people in the U.S., according to American Addiction Centers, based on data gathered by the U.S. National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
According to data from a 2023 survey, 48.5 million Americans, including children as young as 12, struggled with substance use in the previous year.
This story was originally published April 2, 2025 at 1:02 PM with the headline "Rehab let ‘highly vulnerable’ patient relapse until he died of overdose, CA suit says."
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