Family of aircraft carrier sailor who died by suicide files lawsuit
By Diana Stancy
Jul 18, 2024, 05:02 AM
Sailors assigned to air department aboard the aircraft carrier George Washington man the hose team during a general quarters drill, in Newport News, Virginia April 7, 2023. (MC3 Nicholas A. Russell/U.S. Navy)
A lawsuit filed by the survivors of a sailor who died by suicide aboard the aircraft carrier George Washington alleges that the Navy and Huntington Ingalls Industries failed to provide adequate living conditions aboard the ship.
Master-at-Arms Seaman Recruit Xavier Mitchell-Sandor is one of at least three sailors that died by suicide aboard the carrier in April 2022 as the ship underwent an extensive maintenance overhaul.
Mitchell-Sandor’s father, Janos Sandor, filed the lawsuit in March against the U.S. government, Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc., and Huntington Ingalls Incorporated. Sandor is seeking compensatory damages of $60 million.
The lawsuit alleges that the Navy and HII neglected to provide Mitchell-Sandor “with basic necessities of daily living required to maintain his physical and mental health while engaged in activities that were not incident to military service.”
However, HII filed a motion to dismiss the case in May, due to a lack of jurisdiction since it was filed in Connecticut, and both Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc., and Huntington Ingalls Incorporated are headquartered in Virginia.
https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-navy/2024/07/18/family-of-aircraft-carrier-sailor-who-died-by-suicide-files-lawsuit/
