The mental health facility that treated “The Young and the Restless” star Kristoff St. John’s son Julian at the time of his suicide has fired back at St. John’s allegations in a lawsuit filed this week, saying that it was “in compliance with all applicable licensing laws and regulations.”
In a statement provided to TheWrap, the La Casa Mental Health Rehabilitation Center in Long Beach, Calif., said that the Los Angeles Department of Mental Health determined that La Casa’s treatment of Julian St. John was “reasonable and in line with clinical procedures, given his mental condition.”
The facility cited a May 5 review of the case by the California Department of Health Care Services.
“The staff and management of La Casa Mental Health Rehabilitation Center want to express their deepest sympathies to the family of Julian St. John following his tragic suicide in November 2014,” the facility’s statement begins.
St. John and his ex-wife filed their lawsuit on Tuesday, contending that Julian died because of “widespread and pervasive” negligence by the facility.
The complaint, which lists La Casa parent company Telecare as defendant, also argues that Julian’s suicide would have prevented if the facility’s staff had acted “with even the slightest regard for Julian’s safety.”
According to the complaint, Julian who suffered from schizophrenia, was supposed to be on suicide at the time of his death, and was supposed to be checked on every fifteen minutes, but that staff hadn’t checked on the 24-year-old for nearly an hour before he was found in a bathroom of the facility with a bag over his head.
The lawsuit also raises questions about when the facility called 911. According to St. John, the facility claimed to have called 911 a minute after Julian was found, but that emergency responders’ records how that they hadn’t been contacted by the facility until nearly half an hour after that.
The facility is also accused of falsifying documents to cover up its alleged negligence, including multiple false reports making it seem that Julian had been checked on more often than he actually was on the day of his death.
Read La Casa’s full statement below:
“The staff and management of La Casa Mental Health Rehabilitation Center want to express their deepest sympathies to the family of Julian St. John following his tragic suicide in November 2014.
“La Casa has not been served with the lawsuit by the St. John family. We believe it is important to state that the California Department of Health Care Services reviewed the case and on May 5, 2015 found that La Casa was in compliance with all applicable licensing laws and regulations.
“Similarly, the Los Angeles Department of Mental Health concluded that Mr. St. John’s treatment and care at La Casa was reasonable and in line with clinical procedures, given his mental condition.
“For over 30 years our staff has provided excellent, compassionate care to those suffering from mental illness in the Los Angeles area, and we are proud of the dedication and hard work of our team of professional care-givers. We agree with the public comments of the family of Mr. St. John that the nation would be better served by focusing more attention on the issues affecting the mentally ill.”