The family of a woman killed in a West Los Angeles crash involving a speeding Lamborghini last year will receive at least $18.85 million after a wrongful death settlement was reached with the then 17-year-old driver, the family’s attorney announced Wednesday.
The law firm representing the family called the agreement one of the largest settlements in California history for a single plaintiff in a wrongful death case.
Monique Muñoz, 32, was killed on Feb. 17, 2021, when she was heading home from her job at UCLA Health.
She was heading west on Olympic Boulevard and was waiting to turn left on Overland Avenue when the driver of a Lamborghini SUV ran a red light and crashed into her vehicle going more than 100 mph.
The impact caused Muñoz’s car to nearly split in half and she died at the scene.
The driver, Brendan Khuri, suffered moderate injuries and was hospitalized. He was arrested nearly a week after the deadly crash and eventually admitted to a gross vehicular manslaughter charge. Last October, he was sentenced to seven to nine months in a juvenile camp.
The defendant’s name was previously withheld because he was underage at the time of the crash. He is the son of James Khuri, a local wealthy entrepreneur.
Before the crash, Khuri and his father posted on social media engaging in “illegal speed exhibitions,” on L.A. surface streets, the family attorney, Daniel Ghyczy, said.
“Although Brendan Khuri had only received his license a few months prior to this tragedy, he had already had several run-ins with law enforcement, one of which resulted in his Lamborghini SUV being impounded by the Beverly Hills Police Department,” Ghyczy said in a news release.
Citing tow records, Ghyczy said the SUV was returned to the defendant by his father less than 48 hours after it was impounded, and three months before the fatal crash.
Khuri was charged with a misdemeanor for contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
During a restitution hearing on the settlement Wednesday, a judge decided to continue the hearing to a later date, and the family’s total monetary recovery could exceed $25 million.
“Today is a significant milestone because the Muñoz family can finally get some closure for this horrific tragedy,” Ghyczy said. “It was never about money for the Munoz family, it was about acknowledgement of Brendan Khuri’s misconduct that resulted in the death of their only daughter and to ensure that he was held accountable. Today’s settlement is a testament to their efforts and is a step closer to justice.”