Robert Carradine’s Family Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against UCLA 5 Months After Actor Died by Suicide

Deirdre DurkanMon, August 10, 2026 at 6:55 PM UTC

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Credit: Steve Granitz/FilmMagic -

Robert Carradine’s family alleges UCLA staff failed to follow safety protocols during his psychiatric hospitalization

The lawsuit claims hospital staff allowed Carradine access to a belt and falsified observation records

The actor’s family hopes to raise awareness about mental health struggles and reduce stigma surrounding mental illness

Robert Carradine’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit, five months after the actor died by suicide following a hospitalization at UCLA’s Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital.

Carradine’s children filed the lawsuit against the Regents of the University of California on Friday, Aug. 7, according to a complaint obtained by PEOPLE. They allege wrongful death as well as elder abuse and neglect.

The suit claims hospital staff failed to follow key safety protocols while treating the Revenge of the Nerds and Lizzie McGuire actor for suicidal ideation.

Carradine voluntarily admitted himself to UCLA’s Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital on Jan. 16 due to ongoing suicidal ideation, according to a Los Angeles County Medical Examiner report previously obtained by PEOPLE.

The new lawsuit alleges Carradine “walked into UCLA’s locked psychiatric unit ‘feeling relieved to be hospitalized,’” after having been discharged from the same facility about a week earlier.

Edie Mani, Robert Carradine, Marica Carradine, and Ian Carradine on March 7, 2010Credit: Michael Kovac/FilmMagic

But “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,” the suit claims.

Among the family’s allegations is that “UCLA let him walk into a locked psychiatric unit with a belt” despite hospital policies. According to the lawsuit, UCLA policy states that patients being monitored for suicidal ideation are “not allowed to have a belt because it can be used as a ligature to cause self-harm or hanging,” and such items are confiscated to “[prevent] sudden, high-risk acts.”

The suit alleges, however, that Carradine’s belongings from the time of his admission shows that his belt was not taken from him.

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The family also alleges that staff failed to perform required checks on Carradine every 15 minutes in the period before he was found unresponsive. The lawsuit points to video documentation that allegedly shows staff did not check on Carradine during the hour before the incident, despite records indicating the required checks had been performed.

The lawsuit further alleges that UCLA’s records inaccurately showed Carradine participating in group therapy throughout the morning, including after he had been found unresponsive.

According to the complaint, the clinical care partner assigned to Carradine later explained the documentation to state investigators, saying, “I was clicking on the iPad, for some reason I didn’t change the location or behavior, I was just clicking.”

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“Robert’s chart does not record what happened to him. It records the opposite of what happened to him. The medical record does not reflect reality,” the lawsuit alleges.

The family is seeking general damages, special and economic damages and wrongful death damages.

UCLA Health and Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

PEOPLE previously reported in June that Carradine had voluntarily admitted himself to the UCLA facility on Jan. 16 while experiencing ongoing suicidal ideation. The following day, Carradine was found “unresponsive” and “in cardiac arrest” in his hospital room by staff members, according to the medical examiner report obtained by PEOPLE.

Robert Carradine and Ever Carradine on Oct. 3, 2023 in Burbank, CaliforniaCredit: David Livingston/Getty

Carradine was admitted to intensive care, where his “condition continued to decline” for more than a month. He died on Feb. 23 at age 71.

According to the medical examiner’s report, Carradine died from complications of an anoxic brain injury. His manner of death was ruled suicide. The records indicated that Carradine had a history of anxiety, bipolar disorder, severe depression with psychotic features and prior suicide attempts.

After his death, Carradine’s family shared a statement remembering him as a beloved father, grandfather, uncle and brother while also addressing his longtime mental health struggles.

“In a world that can feel so dark, Bobby was always a beacon on light to everyone around him,” the statement read. “We are bereft at the loss of this beautiful soul and want to acknowledge Bobby’s valiant struggle against his nearly two-decade battle with bipolar disorder. We hope his journey can shine a light and encourage addressing the stigma that attaches to mental illness.”

A view of the neuropsychiatric section of the UCLA Medical CenterCredit: Valerie Macon/Getty

Carradine’s death came after a career in Hollywood that spanned more than five decades. He made his onscreen debut opposite John Wayne in the 1972 Western The Cowboys before going on to appear in Martin Scorsese’s Mean Streets and the Oscar-winning drama Coming Home.

He later became widely known for starring as Lewis Skolnick in 1984’s Revenge of the Nerds, reprising the role in several follow-ups to the comedy.

A younger generation of fans knew Carradine as Sam McGuire, the father of Hilary Duff’s Lizzie, on the Disney Channel series Lizzie McGuire. He also reprised the role in 2003’s The Lizzie McGuire Movie.

If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health challenges, call or text 988 in the U.S. and Canada to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or text “STRENGTH” to 741-741 to connect with the Crisis Text Line.

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