Hilliard Law Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit After Texas Man Dies from Kratom Overdose

Michael Kelley turned to kratom to relieve intense chronic pain. Within months, the 39-year-old husband & father was dead.

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX, UNITED STATES, November 11, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Michael Kelley turned to kratom to relieve intense, chronic pain. Within months, the 39-year-old husband and father was dead from an overdose of the dangerous, yet widely available drug.

Hilliard Law, a nationally renowned personal injury firm based in Corpus Christi, Texas, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against multiple companies and individuals responsible for manufacturing, distributing, and selling the kratom that led to Kelley’s death.

“Kratom killed Michael Kelley,” said Attorney Bob Hilliard, owner and founder of Hilliard Law. “The people who profited from it need to be held accountable.”

Kelley, a former champion high school wrestler and college football recruit, began experiencing crippling leg pain in 2015 that left him unable to work and made even daily activities excruciating. Doctors diagnosed him with a rare genetic blood disorder that caused clots behind his knee, making surgery too dangerous.

After years of relying on prescription pain medication, Michael and his wife, Angela Kelley, learned about kratom from a business near their home in Sulphur Springs, Texas. They were told it was a safe, natural way to manage pain. Trusting those claims, Michael began regularly taking kratom capsules.
When mitragynine, the active ingredient in kratom, appeared in his bloodwork, his doctor refused to renew his prescription pain medication. That left Michael dependent on kratom just to function.

“We were assured kratom was a safe and natural way to ease his pain,” said Mrs. Kelley, “but within weeks, he was addicted. Any time he tried to stop taking it, he suffered severe withdrawal symptoms - seizures, emotional outbursts, and unbearable pain.”

On November 2, 2023, Michael Kelley died. An autopsy revealed the cause of death as seizures resulting from mitragynine toxicity.

“Michael Kelley died alone, but he is not alone as a victim of this largely unregulated drug,” said Hilliard. “Kratom is responsible for dozens of deaths and thousands of overdoses nationwide. More than 10,000 kratom-related businesses, many hidden behind shell companies, profit from the nearly two billion dollars in annual sales. In this case, the defendants did everything they could to conceal the dangers from desperate and trusting victims like Michael Kelley.”

The lawsuit, filed in Dallas County, Texas, names the manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers of the kratom products linked to Kelley’s addiction and death.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a public warning that kratom may be dangerous. Both the State of Texas and the City of Sulphur Springs, where Kelley lived, have since passed laws restricting its sale.

Cause Number: DC-25-20748; 160th Judicial District, Dallas County

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About Hilliard Law

Hilliard Law, formerly Hilliard Martinez Gonzales LLP (HMG), is a nationally renowned law firm based in Corpus Christi, TX. With a history of success in personal injury and mass tort litigation, Hilliard Law is committed to providing aggressive representation and seeking justice for its clients. Bob Hilliard, owner and founding partner, has led Hilliard Law to the forefront of national trial law firms. Having tried over 150 jury trials, Mr. Hilliard is also a two-time winner of the National Law Journal’s prestigious Elite Trial Lawyer of the Year award for product liability and motor vehicles and has been recognized as a Super Lawyer for the past 22 years. Mr. Hilliard is double board-certified and recognized as one of the top 100 trial lawyers in the United States. This year alone, Hilliard Law’s 25-lawyer firm has already secured over 200 million dollars in verdicts and settlements. For more information, visit www.hilliard-law.com.

Elisabeth Tabor
Hilliard Law
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