The family of late actor Robert Carradine has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against UCLA. The legal action alleges that the hospital failed to adhere to psychiatric safety protocols during the actor’s final stay. Carradine, known for his roles in Revenge of the Nerds and Lizzie McGuire, was 71 when he died in February 2026.
According to the lawsuit, staff permitted Carradine to keep his belt despite him having active suicidal thoughts and a history of attempts to harm himself. The family argues that removing such items is a standard procedure in locked psychiatric units. Furthermore, the filing claims staff left a rolling table in his room and neglected to perform required safety checks every 15 minutes.
Carradine entered the facility seeking help for depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder. The legal documents state that he was left unsupervised for extended periods shortly before the suicide attempt that led to an anoxic brain injury. He died five weeks after that incident without ever regaining consciousness.
His family is currently seeking economic, special, and general damages from the hospital. The lawsuit emphasizes that the facility possessed the knowledge and the means to prevent this outcome but failed to implement the necessary safeguards meant to protect a patient in a vulnerable mental state.