Robert Joseph Gilliam: Lisa Robin Kelly’s Husband

Robert Joseph Gilliam is known publicly as the husband of That ’70s Show actress Lisa Robin Kelly, whom he married in October 2012. Kelly died on 15 August 2013, aged 43, at Pax House rehabilitation centre in Altadena, California, from accidental multiple drug intoxication. Gilliam, a drug counselor, later filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the centre, which was settled with its terms undisclosed. Little else about his life is publicly confirmed.

Born	1951 (year only; his early life, family, upbringing and education are not publicly confirmed)
Occupation	Drug counselor (described in later coverage as retired; this is not stated here as a current employment fact)
Spouse	Lisa Robin Kelly (married October 2012, private ceremony in North Carolina; a divorce petition was filed in 2013, but Kelly died before any divorce was finalised)
Kelly’s death	15 August 2013, Pax House, Altadena, California, accidental multiple drug intoxication (Los Angeles County Coroner, as reported; specific substances were not publicly disclosed)
Lawsuit	Wrongful-death suit against Pax House and owners James and Marcia Burnett, filed in 2014, alleging staff were improperly trained to care for patients such as Kelly and seeking unspecified damages for loss of love, affection, society, comfort and support; settled, terms undisclosed

Contents

1. 1Lisa Robin Kelly
2. 2Marriage
3. 3The lawsuit against Pax House
4. 4What is not publicly confirmed

Lisa Robin Kelly

Readers need only brief context about Kelly herself. She was known for portraying Laurie Forman on That ’70s Show. According to major-outlet-derived explainers, she had a second DUI arrest in June 2013 and then voluntarily checked in at Pax House days before her death. Her agent, Craig Wyckoff, told People that she was hopeful and looking to start anew.

Marriage

Gilliam met Kelly in North Carolina during a critical period of her substance abuse, as described in those explainers. They married in October 2012 in a private ceremony in North Carolina. The marriage was marred by addiction issues, stated carefully here because the fuller private circumstances are not publicly established in detail.

In November 2012, according to a biography-site timeline, both Gilliam and Kelly were arrested in Mooresville, North Carolina, charged with assault and released on bond. That account is not characterised here as a legal finding about domestic violence. Timeline sources also record a divorce petition filed on 28 June 2013, along with a restraining order. The allegation that Gilliam had become controlling was an allegation in the petition, not a settled finding, and it is reported here only in that attributed form.

After Kelly’s death, a contested exchange was reported between Gilliam and Kelly’s boyfriend. Gilliam blamed the boyfriend for her relapse, claiming she had called him 22 times to get away from him; the boyfriend retorted that Kelly’s problem was years of physical and emotional abuse from Gilliam. Neither claim is adopted here as established fact.

The lawsuit against Pax House

Gilliam filed a wrongful-death lawsuit in 2014 against Pax House and its owners, James and Marcia Burnett. The suit alleged, among other things, that staff were improperly trained to care for patients such as Kelly and that she was neglected for an unreasonable amount of time. Those are allegations, not findings: the case was settled with its terms undisclosed, so no finding exists to report. The suit sought unspecified damages for loss of love, affection, society, comfort and support.

What is not publicly confirmed

Gilliam’s early life, family, education, current residence and current activities are not publicly confirmed. Beyond the marriage, Kelly’s death and the settled lawsuit summarised above, little reliable public information is available, and this article does not fill those gaps with speculation.