The parents of an 18-year-old high school senior who was killed by an accused drunk driver in Manhattan Beach earlier this year has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit seeking $200 million.
Jennifer and Daniel Levi filed the civil lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday, Nov. 12, against 33-year-old Jenia Resha Belt of Los Angeles, accused of allegedly driving under the influence and hitting and killing Braun Levi in the 100 block of South Sepulveda Boulevard on May 4, attorneys said in a statement.
They claim she “knowingly consumed excess amounts of alcohol” prior to driving that night, “failed to pay proper attention to the roadway” and “failed to yield to a pedestrian in or near the roadway.”
Braun Levi was a nationally ranked high school tennis player at Loyola High School in Los Angeles and planned to attend the University of Virginia. He and his family had moved to Hermosa Beach after their house burned down in the Palisades fire in January.
“This is not a decision rooted in anger, vengeance, or financial gain,” Jennifer Levi said in a statement. “It is a decision grounded in accountability, prevention, reform, and the unwavering love we have for Braun.”
Belt couldn’t be reached for comment.
Manhattan Beach police responded to the crash about 12:45 a.m. that early Sunday and found Levi lying face up in the street with his face bloodied and large abrasions on his chest, police wrote in court documents. He was taken to a hospital but died.
Belt remained at the scene and was talking with Hermosa Beach officers in the parking lot of the Hi View Inn & Suites when Manhattan Beach officers arrived. While holding the keys to the SUV, she admitted to being the driver, the document shows. She told police the SUV belonged to her mother.
Four passengers ran from the SUV northbound on Sepulveda Boulevard following the crash, police said in the document.
Belt failed field-sobriety tests and her blood-alcohol content was measured at 0.19%, more than twice the legal limit, police said. She told police she drank one Moscow mule at a bar in Hermosa Beach before getting into the SUV to drive, they said. Belt was headed northbound on Sepulveda and said she tapped the brakes to avoid one pedestrian, then continued before seeing a second one and hitting that person unintentionally.
Belt was driving on a suspended license after entering into a plea deal for a hit-and-run in 2023, with a drunk-driving charge then dropped, court records show.
After violating probation, Belt was arrested and sentenced to jail time. She has not been charged in relation to Levi’s death, though a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said on Thursday, Nov. 13, that case remained under investigation.
“Given the fact that this is a repeat offender, it’s incredibly important for us to bring awareness not only to this tragedy that took the life of a young, beloved son and friend, but also to raise awareness in a broader context of the dangers of drinking and driving,” said Spencer Lucas, an attorney representing the parents.
Braun Levi was with a group of friends and crossing Sepulveda Boulevard on the way to Taco Bell when he was hit. It was unclear if they were in a crosswalk, the family attorney said.
“She had a clear line of sight and should have seen him and failed to even brake,” Lucas said.
Any proceeds gained from the lawsuit would go to the Live Like Braun Foundation, “created to celebrate and honor their son and to raise awareness against the dangers of impaired driving,” the law firm Lucas is with, Panish Shea Ravipudi, said in its statement.
After moving to the South Bay, Braun Levi and a classmate created a peer-to-peer counseling group for other students displaced by the fires, attorneys said. On the tennis court, he won four consecutive league championships, serving as team captain for three of them, they said.
In a police report included in court documents, Manhattan Beach police said about 45 minutes before the crash, they had responded to a home less than a quarter-mile east of the crash site, on a report of loud music.
Arriving officers said they saw five people in the driveway, one who allegedly had watery, glossy eyes, “indicating inebriation.” They told officers they were 18 years old and headed home via Uber. The officers said in the report that the 12:08 a.m. call to the house “should be noted,” but did not specify whether it was connected to the crash.
When asked about the report, Lucas declined to comment.