On August 7, the family of actor Robert Carradine filed a lawsuit against the regents of the University of California, alleging that a series of failures at the UCLA psychiatric facility led to his death.
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The Wrap obtained a copy of the lawsuit.
“Robert walked into UCLA’s locked psychiatric unit ‘feeling relieved to be hospitalized’ and hoped that ‘additional inpatient treatment would’ reduce his anxiety,” the filing read. “He was happy to be in a ‘locked, structured environment’ where he could rest – one that felt ‘containing and helpful.’”
“But Robert’s hopes for successful treatment didn’t match the reality he had stepped into. Instead of walking into a safe environment, he walked into a locked facility that broke a cardinal rule for a hospitalized psychiatric patient with active suicidal thoughts and a history of suicide attempts.”
According to the family, UCLA allowed Carradine to keep his belt when he was admitted to the hospital. They assert that belts can be used to “cause self-harm or hanging,” and are typically confiscated. Additionally, the suit cites UCLA’s own policy that lists “belts and belt buckles” as contraband.
In addition to not confiscating the belt, the suit alleges that a rolling bedside table was left in his room. The item is typically not a “standard piece of furniture in the locked psych unit.”
The family also alleges that the hospital was supposed to check on him “every 15 minutes,” and “no one watched him or checked on him for long periods of time.”
Carradine attempted suicide 19 hours later, per the filing.
“Robert never regained consciousness,” the suit said. “He suffered an anoxic brain injury and spent the next five weeks in the intensive care unit. He never recovered and died on Feb. 23, 2026.”
Carradine’s loved ones are seeking general damages, special and economic damages, and wrongful damages.