Lawsuit filed in St. Charles crash that killed teen

A wrongful-death lawsuit has been filed against a Wayne man charged with reckless homicide in a crash that killed one of his passengers.

Onofrio J. Lorusso, 18, is being sued by the family of West Chicago resident Cameron Godee, 17, who died June 14 when Lorusso's Ford Explorer went off Royal Fox Drive in St. Charles and hit two trees. The lawsuit, filed Monday in Kane County Circuit Court, seeks $6.175 million in damages.

"It's not unexpected," Lorusso's attorney, Vince Solano, said of the lawsuit Tuesday. "We'll be fighting it in the civil courts outside of what's going on in the criminal courts. It's unfortunate."

Police say Lorusso was driving with a blood-alcohol concentration nearly three times the legal threshold and tested positive for marijuana. Godee also was under the influence of both substances, according to Kane County coroner's officials.

Godee, a front-seat passenger, was killed, and two teens in the back seat were injured, when the Lorusso lost control of his vehicle and it was crushed against the trees. The crash happened within days of Godee and Lorusso graduating from St. Charles East High School.

The lawsuit accuses Lorusso of driving negligently and with "willful and wanton disregard for the safety of (Godee) and other passengers in his vehicle."

Solano declined to comment on specific accusations in the lawsuit. Plaintiff attorney George P. Lindner was not immediately available for comment.

Lorusso, who is free on a $50,000 bond, has pleaded not guilty to reckless homicide, aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol, driving under the influence of drugs and driving under the combined influence of alcohol and drugs. He faces up to seven years in prison if convicted.

Solano said his client is awaiting the completion of a report into his background and potential eligibility for probation before deciding whether to go to trial or consider a plea deal. The defense also is awaiting some police reports from the case, Solano said.

Lorusso, who also is being sued by one of his surviving passengers, returns to court Jan. 28.

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