The family of Robert Carradine filed a wrongful death lawsuit earlier this month.
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The actor died by suicide on February 23 at age 71. It alleges wrongful death, elder abuse, and neglect by staff at UCLA's Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital during Carradine's hospitalization.
And now TMZ reports that the facility failed to follow safety rules that were intended to protect the "Lizzie McGuire" star. We have the details below.
What Did the Report Say?
According to a report filed by the Department of Health and Human Services, the Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital was noncompliant with federal requirements regarding patient rights and nursing services.
Investigators state that the facility didn't follow its policy of checking on Carradine every 15 minutes as required.
This substantiates a claim in the lawsuit filed by the actor's family. Video allegedly shows staff did not check on the actor before the his suicide attempt. However, records indicate the required checks were performed.
The report also corroborates another claim in the Carradine family lawsuit: staff failed to keep contraband out of the actor's room. It is alleged that staff allowed Carradine to "walk into a locked psychiatric unit with a belt."
The Family of Robert Carradine Is Suing the Facility
That belt was ultimately used in Carradine's suicide attempt, along with a bedside table. The facility's Director of Quality Management told investigators that the admitting nurse failed to take his belt, cellphone, and wallet.
She then added that the bedside table was probably left behind by a previous patient. The nurse didn't know who should remove it.
"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 claims.
Carradine's family is seeking general damages, special and economic damages, and wrongful death damages.
"In a world that can feel so dark, Bobby was always a beacon of light to everyone around him," said his family in a statement issued at the time of the actor's death. "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."
