Founder of rehab where Presley Gerber died had prior license denial over drug and minor offenses
Presley Gerber died at a California recovery residence owned by Dr. Reza Nabavi, whose psychology license was previously denied because of drug-related convictions and an incident involving a minor.
Dr. Reza Nabavi, who founded the Santa Monica halfway house Resolutions Living, owned the facility where 27-year-old Presley Gerber died of a suspected overdose on Sunday. Nabavi, now 50, earned a Ph.D. in clinical psychology in 2004 after a series of drug-related arrests in 2002, including possession of methamphetamine, marijuana, a firearm and a hunting knife while with a 15-year-old girl. He pleaded no contest to misdemeanor drug charges and received probation.
The California Board of Psychology denied his initial application for a psychologist license in 2004 because of those convictions and related unprofessional conduct. After a period of supervised probation that required regular psychological evaluation, drug testing and participation in a recovery program, Nabavi was granted a psychologist license in December 2006, with the board later terminating his probation early in 2008.
Nabavi later served as director of family services at the now-closed Promises Malibu rehab center before opening Resolutions Living in 2013. The three-story residence, valued at $7.7 million, is classified by the state Department of Health Care Services as a sober-living environment rather than a licensed substance-use disorder treatment facility.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has listed Gerber’s place of death as a “rehabilitation facility,” but the cause of death has not been released. According to sources, Gerber was admitted to Resolutions Living on Saturday and appeared to be under the influence at the time.
"Based on publicly available information, the program appears to operate as a sober living environment or recovery residence, which is not licensed by DHCS and therefore not subject to state licensure requirements," a DHCS representative said.
Representatives for Nabavi, Resolutions Living and the Gerber-Crawford family did not respond to requests for comment.