Crystal Lake man sued over '07 crash that killed four

A wrongful-death lawsuit has been filed against a Crystal Lake man accused of killing four friends in a DUI-related crash near Huntley last fall.

The lawsuit was filed last week in Kane County Circuit Court by the father of 20-year-old Ayush Joshi of Hoffman Estates, who was among those killed in the Sept. 8 crash on Dietrich Road in Hampshire Township.

The complaint seeks more than $50,000 in damages from Fakir Muhammad Jaffrie, who is charged with reckless homicide, driving under the influence of marijuana and other offenses.

Ray Rudnick, an attorney representing the Joshi family, said Monday he expects more suits to follow.

"I think we're the only ones to file so far," he said. "Attorneys for the other deceased passengers will be filing as well."

Jaffrie, who is confined to his parents' Algonquin home while awaiting trial, pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges in March. His attorney in the criminal case, David Camic, said he learned of the civil suit Monday.

"We're aggressively defending the criminal case," Camic said, "and I suspect the civil case also will be aggressively defended."

Investigators say Jaffrie was under the influence of marijuana when he crashed a 2003 Infiniti G35 into a tree, resulting in the deaths of Joshi, Huntley residents Zohair Husain, 18, and Henry Onwualu, 19; and Kumail Husain, 20, of Algonquin.

The lawsuit claims Jaffrie failed to drive at a safe speed and was negligent to the safety of his passengers.

The case goes before Kane County Judge F. Keith Brown on Jan. 26.