Judge rules against Theodore Knox, co-defendant in Rashee Rice lawsuit for 2024 crash

A gavel used by the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee is seen before a meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

A Texas court has issued a default judgement of more than $2.8 million against Theodore Knox, a co-defendant in one of the lawsuits against Kansas City Chiefs receiver Rashee Rice, ESPN reported Thursday.

The lawsuit was born out of a high-speed crash in March 2024 on North Central Expressway. Police have said Rice and Knox were speeding in two high-end sports cars when they lost control, crashed into multiple vehicles and fled the scene.

Authorities said Rice was driving 119 mph in a rented Lamborghini Urus, while Knox was driving 116 mph in a Chevrolet Corvette registered to Rice before slowing to 91 mph about a second before the collision.

Rice was suspended for six games for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy. Last year, he was also sentenced to 30 days in jail and five years of probation.

The ESPN report said the court awarded Kathryn Kuykendall, one of the victims in the case, nearly $2.88 million in Wednesday’s ruling, including punitive damages plus costs for medical expenses, lost earnings and non-economic damages.

"We've asked the court to grant the default judgment because we're ethically required to as a matter of diligence," Marc Lenahan, Kuykendall's attorney, told ESPN in a statement when the motion was initially filed, the report said. "Personally, it pleases us that Teddy [Knox] hasn't made further mistakes that we're aware of. If a team gives him a chance to prove that he's walking the right path now, we'll be rooting for him."

No court documents pertaining to the Wednesday judgement were immediately available. According to ESPN, it was handled by submission, meaning the decision was made on the basis of documents submitted and already available evidence, rather than live testimony.