Kristoff St. John, ‘Young & The Restless’ Star, Suing Mental Health Facility Over Son’s Suicide

Young and the Restless actor Kristoff St. John has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against a California mental health facility over the suicide of his son, which occurred on the premises.

Kristoff St. John’s Wrongful Death Suit

Julian St. John, St. John’s son with his ex-wife Mia, died last November in a suicide attempt at the La Casa Psychiatric Health Facility in Long Beach, Calif. For years, Julian had suffered with depression. As it grew worse, his parents determined that he would benefit from a stay at the mental hospital. At the time of his suicide, weeks after a previous attempt on his life, he was to have regular suicide watch check-ins to prevent such a tragedy.

St. John learned of Julian’s death at the age of 24 from a phone call from Mia. “That call was the worst call I had ever gotten in my life,” he told Entertainment Tonight. “It’s every parent’s nightmare. When I heard her screaming he had died, I knew.”

According to St. John’s lawsuit, not only did the La Casa Psychiatric Health Facility staff fail to keep to the suicide watch schedule, upon finding Julian unconscious, the staff also failed in calling emergency medical personnel in a timely fashion.

“There was really no emergency there. We see on surveillance people walking around very slowly,” St. John said. “How do you not call 911 immediately?”

The wrongful death lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.

“This lawsuit is to shed light on the inefficiency and the incompetency that happens in mental hospitals nationwide,” St. John told E.T. “We have a bad health care system. … People should never die in the hospital for lack of care.”

“My son died because there are millions of people suffering from the mental disabilities of schizophrenia, bipolar, and being depressed,” he added. “And so at the end of the day his life will not be in vain. His life will be vindicated, and I will campaign until the day that I die to bring justice to my son.”