Josh Klinghoffer: Details About His Wrongful Death Lawsuit

Former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer is being sued for wrongful death stemming from a March 2024 auto accident where he struck a man in a crosswalk, who later died from his injuries.

Here, we break down details from the accident, details of the lawsuit, statements from the victim's family and a statement from Klinghoffer's attorney.

The lawsuit filed against Klinghoffer claims the guitarist was driving a 2022 GMC Yukon without license plates at the time of the accident, which took place in Alhambra, California. Klinghoffer was turning left in an intersection when he allegedly struck 47-year-old Israel Sanchez in the back.

The lawsuit notes Sanchez "had been walking in the crosswalk with the right of way, and was in fact halfway across the crosswalk."

The lawsuit further notes, "The pedestrian was thrown and/or dragged across the asphalt where he sustained blunt force trauma to the head, and lay on the pavement until medical transport arrived. He succumbed to his blunt force injuries later that day, when he was pronounced dead at Huntington Hospital at 5:28 p.m."

Additionally, the lawsuit claims that video of the accident shows Klinghoffer did not brake or slow his vehicle until he hit Sanchez. It is also alleged that Klinghoffer "was using a device mere seconds before he crashed into the decedent."

Furthermore, the lawsuit states Klinghoffer "went off on tour with his band after the incident," "never contacted the family" and "has shown no remorse for his behavior." (Rolling Stone reports the tour referenced in the lawsuit is a Pearl Jam tour, where he served as a session musician.)

The lawsuit is being brought by Ashley Sanchez, the daughter of the late Israel Sanchez. In addition to Klinghoffer, other defendants include 20 Does, which are described in the lawsuit as "agents, servants, employees, successors in interest, partners, and/or joint ventures of their co-defendants."

The damages being sought in the lawsuit include pain and suffering, economic damages to cover medical bills and legal fees and the demand for a jury trial.

In a statement, Ashley Sanchez said, "My dad was known for being a great chef, the most talented of his family, the greatest grandpa always full of love and joy. His smile was so infectious. His life was taken by a careless act of a person who didn’t bother to look where he was driving.

Nick Rowley, the attorney representing the Sanchez family, said, "Mr. Klinghoffer should be arrested and prosecuted for homicide. We have a video of him on his cell phone at the time he hit and killed Israel Sanchez, a loving father, in a crosswalk."

Klinghoffer's attorney told Rolling Stone, "This was a tragic accident. After which, Josh immediately pulled over, stopped the vehicle, called 911, and waited until police and the ambulance arrived. He is fully cooperating with the traffic investigation."

For more than three decades, the Red Hot Chili Peppers have twisted rock, funk, punk and soul into new, surprising, usually fun and sometimes sad jams.

Singer Anthony Kiedis and bassist Flea have kept the band together and have stayed relevant far longer than most of their peers or their idols. We took a deep dive into the hits and some album tracks to come up with this list of their 42 greatest songs.

We included every era, not to be fair, but because every lineup had at least a few classics. The early lineup of Anthony, Flea, guitarist Hillel Slovak and drummer Jack Irons is some people's favorite. Anthony, Flea, drummer Chad Smith and guitarist John Frusicante created their most successful albums and songs. But credit is also due to former guitarists Jack Sherman, Dave Navarro and Josh Klinghoffer, and ex-drummer Cliff Martinez.

When Johm Frusciante rejoined the band, they showed that the most successful lineup still had something to say (and a lot of it: they released two double albums in a year). Take a look through our countdown of their 42 best songs (and yes, the list surely could have been much longer).