Wrongful-death lawsuit alleges texting, speeding in fatal Lawrence crash
A wrongful-death suit says a Lawrence driver was texting, speeding and intoxicated when he killed actor Louise ImMasche after a Theatre Lawrence show.
Around 10:30 p.m. on Oct. 24, 2025, a Chevrolet Tahoe crossed the center line at the 384-mile marker on U.S. 40 and hit actor Louise ImMasche’s eastbound 2019 Kia Forte head-on. A wrongful-death lawsuit in Douglas County District Court says texting, speed and alleged drug or alcohol use were factors in the crash that killed her, and Zachary Grant, ImMasche’s husband, is suing Eliseo J. Munoz Jr. and Eliseo M. Munoz Sr. for negligence and is seeking a jury award of more than $75,000.
The complaint says Munoz Jr. was driving west on U.S. 40, also known as K-10 and the South Lawrence Trafficway, when his Chevrolet Tahoe crossed the center line at the 384-mile marker between West 27th Street and Iowa Street and hit ImMasche’s eastbound 2019 Kia Forte head-on. The suit alleges he was texting on a cellphone, speeding and under the influence when the collision occurred.
The filing also names Munoz Sr., saying he owned the vehicle and let his son use it despite a history of reckless and impaired driving. The suit says the younger Munoz was not supposed to drive on the highway and was required to use an ignition interlock device because of earlier DUI issues. The defendants have denied or challenged the allegations.
ImMasche had just performed in Theatre Lawrence’s production of The Rocky Horror Show as Dr. Frank-N-Furter. Theatre Lawrence had scheduled the show for Oct. 23-25, 2025, but canceled the remaining performances after the crash and offered refunds. ImMasche had appeared there for more than 15 years in productions including Little Shop of Horrors, Priscilla, Lend Me a Tenor and The Little Mermaid, along with repeated turns as Frank-N-Furter. Tributes later led to a community cabaret and the Louise ImMasche Striving Artist Project to fund an original play or musical by an area artist.
The civil case took another step Friday, when the parties held a first case-management conference before Judge James McCabria and discussed discovery deadlines and the possibility of punitive damages. The Douglas County District Attorney’s Office attributed a March 7, 2024 DUI arrest affidavit involving Munoz that had not been charged before the crash to a “fatal mistake” in the prior administration, and a complaint filed Oct. 27, 2025, alleged a blood alcohol level of 0.24 and driving while suspended. Trial in the civil case is set for the week of Sept. 20, 2027.
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