The Young and the Restless' Kristoff St. John (Neil) and his ex-wife, Mia St. John, settled their lawsuit last month against the parent company of the Long Beach mental health hospital where their son, Julian St. John, took his own life in 2014, court papers reveal.
As fans may recall, St. John and his wife filed their lawsuit in 2015 after their son was found dead with a plastic bag over his head in a bathroom at the facility on November 23, 2014 -- just three weeks after he reportedly attempted to kill himself the same way.
Though the twenty-four-year-old's death was deemed to be a suicide, St. John and his ex placed blame on the hospital, alleging that nurses and staff members regularly skipped mandatory check-ins and observations of Julian and that employees falsified documents in order to cover up the claimed neglect (including allegedly writing numerous fraudulent reports that indicate the staff checked in on him more than they actually did).
"The facility was aware of Julian's history of suicidal ideation, but only placed him under one-on-one observation for approximately two weeks following his most recent suicide attempt," the suit stated. "Moreover, defendants' employees made no attempt to prevent Julian from obtaining plastic bags after he tried to take his own life with one."
According to the lawsuit, Julian St. John -- who "battled mental illness his entire life" -- would still be alive if the employees had followed the proper procedures.
"I'm still angry," Kristoff told ET's Kevin Frazier, when asked what it was like watching the footage that captured Julian's final moments in the facility. "I watched it the first time. I'll never watch it again. It's not something I want to see."
The funds awarded to the St. Johns in the settlement were used to set up a foundation in Julian's name to raise mental health awareness. And their lawsuit has already sparked some major changes in the mental health medical community. Kristoff says the corporation will "do business differently now," and Mia says, "They have already taken out the plastic bags and a lot of mental health facilities have taken over that policy since my son's death."
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