A $10 million lawsuit filed by the family of Turlock High assistant basketball coach Jonathan Williams, who was killed in a car crash December 2023, has been settled out of court, according to the family’s attorney.
The amount of the settlement was not disclosed.
“…all interested parties stepped up and did the right thing here,” said prominent Modesto attorney Adam Stewart, who represented plaintiffs, which included the coach’s wife, Belinda Williams, and children, Jaydon, Jamison, Jordan, Jonathan Jr., and Shea Glasgow. “They’re pleased to have put this behind them.”
The family sought damages for hospital and medical expenses, negligent infliction of emotional distress, loss of wages, grief, and other compensatory damages.
The lawsuit, filed in April 2024, named Romeil Soheylabady and his son, Jason Soheylabady, as defendants.
The 48-year-old Williams was heading to a basketball tournament at Pitman High School when his life was taken in a three-vehicle collision on West Christoffersen Parkway near Kilroy Road.
A Turlock Police Department report showed that Jason Soheylabady, 16 years old at the time of the incident, was driving a Toyota Camry at nearly 100 mph just before striking Williams’ 2018 Dodge Journey, which was being driven by his son Jordan. Jonathan Williams was in the passenger seat.
Jordan Williams was traveling on West Christoffersen Parkway and was preparing to turn left onto North Kilroy Road when the vehicle was struck.
Jason Soheylabady, who was driving the Toyota, sped up to 98 mph in the 2.1 seconds before he hit the brakes and collided with the Dodge, according TPD’s Major Accident Investigation Team. The Toyota struck the Dodge at an approximate speed of 60 mph, according to the report.
Jason Soheylabady was arrested and booked on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, failure to obey restricted driver’s license provisions, unsafe speed, and reckless driving resulting in bodily injury. He was sentenced to probation in juvenile court.
Williams was a fixture in the Turlock basketball community. He was involved in youth camps and was the longtime assistant for Turlock’s boys’ varsity basketball head coach Doug Cornfoot. In 2019, he took over as the Bulldogs’ varsity girls head coach. He served in the position until the 2020-21 season. After that, he has served as an assistant for both Cornfoot and current girls head coach Erica Hernandez.
