Jury awards over $60 million to parents of teen killed in Torrance car chase

A jury awarded more than $60 million on Tuesday to the parents of a teen killed during a civilian car chase six years ago.

The L.A. County Superior Court jury in Inglewood awarded $23.25 million in compensatory damages to Julie Esphorst and $36.5 million to Jesse Esphorst Sr., according to court documents.

The couple’s son, 16-year-old Jesse Esphorst Jr., and his father were returning from a baseball game on March 7, 2017, when their minivan was struck by two vehicles involved in a chase at the intersection of Crenshaw Boulevard and Crest Road in Torrance. Jesse’s father was severely hurt, and Jesse died that night.

The two drivers involved in the car chase were Tung Ming of Rancho Palos Verdes and Darryl Leander Hicks of Los Angeles. After Hicks hit Ming’s vehicle while making an illegal U-turn, Ming pursued Hicks and called 911 to report the incident. The 911 operator repeatedly told Ming to get the plate number of Hicks’ vehicle, prompting Ming to drive faster, he said in a deposition.

“While still on the phone with the aforementioned 911 operator(s) and at his/her direction, defendant Tung Ming ... recklessly and carelessly pursues [Hicks] through residential streets at a high rate of speed,” Julie Esphorst’s 2018 civil complaint said.

About 10 p.m., Ming and Hicks rounded a “blind curve in the roadway” and Hicks’ vehicle crashed into the Esphorsts’ minivan and then fled the scene. Ming’s vehicle slammed into the minivan shortly after.

The jury found Ming 95% at fault and Hicks 5% at fault, and ruled Hicks must pay $18,000 and Ming $2 million in punitive damages to the couple, according to court documents.

Allison Grandy, Ming’s attorney, said the judge issued an order barring her office from presenting a defense on Ming’s behalf due to his “inability to appear at trial.”

It is not clear why Ming was unable to appear.

“We firmly believe that, had the complete evidence been presented, including the circumstances surrounding the hit-and-run and Mr. Ming’s compliance with 911 instructions, the liability decision and punitive damages award would have been markedly different,” she said.

Grandy said her office is exploring “all available legal avenues” to address the circumstances around Ming’s inability to appear at the trial.

Hicks’ attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Esphorsts also received a $6.5-million settlement from Los Angeles County in 2022, citing “gross negligence” by the 911 operator that they say ultimately led to the teen’s death.

“The public places so much trust in 911 operators for assistance and advice, and this demonstrates the heavy responsibility that the operator has, but it’s truly just a failure to follow common sense,” attorney John Taylor, who represented Jesse’s mother in the 2022 case, said in a Times interview. “She kind of was telling Ming to engage in a law enforcement function rather than stopping the chase.”

Hicks, who fled the scene after the crash, was sentenced to 11 years in prison. Ming, who stayed at the scene, was sentenced to more than two years in prison and is no longer in custody, according to his attorney.

“Jesse was loved by everyone who knew him and not a day goes by that his family, or his community don’t grieve this tragic loss,” said Robert Clayton, an attorney representing the Esphorsts, in an emailed statement. “[The] verdict gives his family some support they need to continue to navigate their lives while dealing with this unimaginable tragedy.”