NORFOLK, Va. — The father of a Sailor who died by suicide on board the USS George Washington has filed a $60 million lawsuit accusing the Navy and HII of failing to provide "basic necessities of daily living" on the ship.
Xavier Mitchell-Sandor died by suicide in April 2022 at the age of 19.
Last year, News 3 spoke with his parents who felt like the Navy hadn't done enough to address housing for him, which damaged his mental health and led to his suicide.
Watch: Parents of local Sailor who died by suicide push for Navy to address housing
Sandor lived and worked on the ship, which at the time was undergoing an overhaul at Newport News Shipbuilding.
"It could've been preventable. They knew what was happening," his father said.
The lawsuit was filed in March by Sandor's father on behalf of his estate. The lawsuit names the U.S. government, Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc., and Huntington Ingalls Incorporated as defendants.
Sandor worked overnight as a Master at Arms, meaning he was providing security for the ship.
The lawsuit says there was continuous noise on the ship during the hours Sandor tried to sleep.
"Because of this Xavier could not sleep and became extremely sleep deprived," the lawsuit says.
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Sandor often slept in his car, which had to be parked about a mile walk from the ship, the lawsuit says.
Sandor was bullied after his family complained about the conditions, the suit states.
He took his own life on April 15, 2022, by using his Navy-issued pistol, according to the lawsuit.
Sandor was one of three Sailors assigned to the Washington to die by suicide in the same week in April 2022.
A Navy report from December 2022 found senior leadership should've encouraged Sandor to sleep elsewhere, calling it a "time for intrusive leadership."
Since the cluster of suicides, the Navy and HII have taken steps to try and address Sailors' quality of life concerns, including the announcement of a new parking garage in June and providing off-ship housing to Sailors who are working on ships undergoing maintenance.
In court filings, attorneys for HII argue they should be dismissed from the lawsuit because it was filed in Connecticut, not in Virginia where HII is headquartered.
The attorneys also argue that HII was not obligated to provide adequate housing for Sandor, saying that was up to the Navy.
The Dept. of Justice declined to comment.
An HII spokesperson said in a statement, “Our thoughts remain with Seaman Sandor’s family and his shipmates, and our shipbuilders, as we expressed at his passing. We at HII work side-by-side with our U.S. Navy teammates, and we prioritize their safety – and that of our own employees and visitors to our shipyards - as we strive every day to advance the national security mission of our customers. We reserve further comment due to pending litigation.”
