Patience Rousseau Wins $100,000 Settlement After Nevada Dismisses Stillbirth Manslaughter Case
Updated
Updated · CNN · May 16
Patience Rousseau Wins $100,000 Settlement After Nevada Dismisses Stillbirth Manslaughter Case
1 articles · Updated · CNN · May 16
$100,000 was awarded to Patience Rousseau in February after a Nevada judge dismissed with prejudice the manslaughter case tied to her 2018 stillbirth, ending years of legal uncertainty after she spent more than two years in prison.
A Facebook post mourning the baby she named Abel triggered the investigation; deputies exhumed the remains, and prosecutors used a 1911 Nevada statute to accuse her of causing the pregnancy loss.
In 2021, her conviction was vacated after experts testified there was no scientific evidence that cinnamon, marijuana, methamphetamine exposure or heavy lifting caused the stillbirth, and the judge found her public defender ineffective.
Rousseau's lawyers are still trying to recover Abel's remains after learning a former deputy had claimed the ashes from a funeral home and kept them at her Texas home.
Her case reflects a broader rise in prosecutions over pregnancy loss and self-managed abortion: Pregnancy Justice counted at least 412 criminal cases in the two years after Roe v. Wade was overturned.
What consequences does a deputy face for taking a stillborn baby's remains and keeping them at home for years?
As hundreds face charges for pregnancy outcomes, are antiquated laws creating a new class of criminals?
Nevada law criminalizes having an abortion, yet the procedure is legal. How is this paradox being used against pregnant individuals?
$100,000 Settlement After Eight Years: Patience Rousseau’s Ordeal and the Legacy of Nevada’s 1911 Law on Pregnancy Outcomes
Overview
Patience Rousseau’s ordeal began in 2018 when, after experiencing a stillbirth during a difficult period in her life, she was arrested and charged with manslaughter under Nevada’s outdated 1911 law. Despite a lack of scientific evidence and irregularities in the investigation, she was convicted and incarcerated, compounding her trauma. Years later, her conviction was vacated due to ineffective counsel, and her case was dismissed. In 2026, she received a settlement, but continues to face stigma and financial hardship. Rousseau’s case highlights how old laws can be used to criminalize pregnancy outcomes, underscoring the need for legal reform and better support systems.