Robert Carradine’s Family Sues UCLA Over Actor’s Death, Let Him Into Psych Unit With Belt

Robert Carradine’s family is suing the regents of the University of California, alleging serious failures at UCLA contributed to the actor’s death earlier this year.

The wrongful-death and elder-abuse lawsuit filed on Friday claims Carradine entered UCLA’s locked psychiatric unit seeking treatment and hoping the structured environment would "help with his anxiety," according to documents obtained by TheWrap.

According to the lawsuit, however, the family believes UCLA failed to follow important safety procedures during Carradine’s stay ... one of the key allegations centers on a belt Carradine reportedly had with him when he was admitted.

The family claims UCLA’s policies identify belts and belt buckles as prohibited items in the psychiatric unit, but staff allegedly failed to remove his belt ... claiming the hospital broke a cardinal rule for a hospitalized psychiatric patient.

The lawsuit also reportedly alleges Carradine was left with a rolling bedside table in his room, despite the family’s claim that the furniture was not normally used in the locked unit.

About 19 hours after arriving at the facility, Carradine attempted suicide, according to the filing obtained by the outlet ... and the family alleges UCLA also failed to conduct required 15-minute checks, claiming Carradine went for extended periods without being observed.

Carradine never regained consciousness after the incident, the lawsuit claims, and he suffered an anoxic brain injury and remained in intensive care for approximately five weeks before his death on February 23, 2026.

The family further alleges UCLA’s subsequent investigation did not accurately reflect what happened, claiming hospital records conflicted with surveillance footage from the facility and the lawsuit seeks general, special and economic damages, along with damages related to Carradine’s death. The allegations have not been proven in court.

As we previously reported ... Carradine’s family announced his death in February ... describing him as a beloved father, grandfather, uncle and brother. They also spoke publicly about his longtime struggle with bipolar disorder and said they hoped his story would encourage greater understanding of mental illness.

Carradine was part of Hollywood’s famous Carradine acting dynasty with his father, actor John Carradine, his actor brothers David Carradine and Keith Carradine, and his daughter Ever Carradine. Robert Carradine became best known for his role as Lewis Skolnick in the “Revenge of the Nerds” movies, as well as “The Long Riders” and Disney Channel’s “Lizzie McGuire.”

We've reached out to UCLA for comment ... so far, no word back.