Family of USS George Washington sailor who died by suicide files $60M lawsuit
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — The family of a USS George Washington sailor who died by suicide aboard the ship has filed a $60 million wrongful death lawsuit against the Navy and Huntington Ingalls, alleging inadequate living conditions on the ship.
Xavier Mitchell-Sandor died in April 2022, and, according to the lawsuit, was required to live on the George Washington while the ship was in drydock at the Newport News Shipyard.
However, the lawsuit states that he did not have adequate living quarters. It states that the George Washington presented a hazardous and noisy industrial environment that was not suitable for living.
Mitchell-Sandor was required to stand watch at night when it was quiet, between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., and then he would try to sleep during the day, the lawsuit states.
Because of the noise, he became severely sleep deprived and often tried sleeping in his car.
“The GW presented a hazardous and noisy industrial environment, not suitable for living,” the lawsuit states. “The work required for the RCOH (refueling complex overhaul) caused loud noises throughout the day, such as needle gunning, bells, frequent announcements and grinding.”
The lawsuit states he was bullied after his family made complaints about the living arrangements.
The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for District of Connecticut.
An 86-page report examining the circumstances surrounding the deaths by suicide of three USS George Washington sailors in the one-week period of April 2022 noted that Mitchell-Sandor died by suicide while he was on watch aboard the George Washington, and that he had enlisted in the Navy less than a year before his death.
The report noted that Mitchell-Sandor was at risk of dying by suicide because of significant sleep deprivation – and that, despite having three years left to serve, wanted out of the Navy.
The Navy Times reported that Huntington Ingalls filed a motion to dismiss the case in May, stating the court didn’t have jurisdiction since the lawsuit was filed in Connecticut and not in Virginia, where both Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc. and Huntington Ingalls Incorporated are based. It also stated that there is insufficient evidence that it was their duty to prevent him from dying by suicide or protect him from doing so, since he was employed by the Navy.
Mitchell-Sandor, who was 19 at the time, was one of three sailors assigned to the USS George Washington who died by suicide within a week of one another.
The George Washington entered its RCOH on Aug. 4, 2017 under a $2.8 billion contract with Newport News Shipbuilding. The lawsuit states that the RCOH was to be completed by August 2021, within four years. However, the work took 69 months — five years and nine months.
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