Family of UC Davis official who killed himself after sexual harassment accusation sues university

A lawsuit filed on behalf of the widow and children of a UC Davis official who killed himself in October 2015 after being accused of sexual harassment blames the university for driving him to suicide.

The suit claims Col. Christopher de los Santos was notified by email of the accusations and told he was suspended and to stay away from campus.

The Sacramento Bee reports that the suit says other university employees accused of sexual harassment were not placed on leave nor barred from campus pending investigation. De Los Santos was chief of an arm of the department of entomology and nematology.

The lawsuit says that two associate deans wanted De Los Santos notified of the suspension while he was away from campus because they were concerned he would “show up with a gun.”

UC Davis says it did nothing wrong in handling the sexual harassment claims that were filed against him.

An article about De Los Santos on a UC website says he joined the UC Davis administration in July 2015 after a military career.