The family of actor Robert Carradine has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the regents of the University of California. The complaint alleges that failures at UCLA’s Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital led to the death of the 71-year-old actor earlier this year.
According to the legal filing, Carradine checked into the hospital on January 16 due to severe depression and suicidal thoughts. He sought care in a controlled, locked environment to ensure his safety. The lawsuit claims that despite the facility’s protocols regarding contraband, staff members allowed him to keep his belt, which is explicitly listed as a prohibited item due to the risk of self-harm.
The suit further alleges that personnel placed him in a room containing a rolling bedside table, which they contend was not standard furniture for that unit and should have been removed. Additionally, the filing states that staff failed to perform mandated safety checks every 15 minutes, which left him unattended for long durations. Following an attempt to take his own life, Carradine was found unresponsive and suffering from an anoxic brain injury. He spent five weeks in the intensive care unit before passing away on February 23.
The family’s legal team argues that the hospital staff cut corners on critical safety procedures. The lawsuit also claims that staff members falsified records to suggest they were providing the required level of supervision. Carradine, known for his roles in Revenge of the Nerds and Lizzie McGuire, had lived with bipolar disorder for two decades. His family is now seeking damages for his medical expenses and the loss of his life, stating he had reached out for help to stay safe only to be failed by the institution he trusted.