Horacio Vela's Los Angeles Superior Court negligence suit seeks unspecified damages.
On Wednesday, Ruck's attorneys filed court papers with Judge Michelle C. Kim denying that any of Vela's injuries were attributable to the actor's conduct. Ruck's lawyers also maintain Vela did not comply with Prop. 213. Officially titled the Personal Responsibility Act of 1996, the initiative measure limits the right of uninsured motorists, drunk drivers and felons to sue and recover damages from law-abiding citizens.
Vela should "take nothing" from his complaint, Ruck's attorneys state in their court papers.
In his suit brought Dec. 7, Vela alleges that Ruck "abruptly and forcefully accelerated" his truck while stopped at a red light at the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and La Brea Avenue about 9 p.m. Oct. 31.
Ruck's truck struck the rear bumper of Vela's car, knocking him into another vehicle in the intersection, the suit states. Ruck's truck then hit yet another vehicle before smashing into a nearby pizzeria, according to the suit.
Vela was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in an ambulance and his car was totaled, according to the suit.
Ruck's insurance company, State Farm, has "ghosted us for weeks despite repeated calls and letters seeking to work out an amicable settlement," according to a statement by Neama Rahmani, one of the plaintiff's lawyers.
Trial of Vela's case is scheduled June 5, 2025.
Ruck, 67, had his first film role in the 1983 drama film "Bad Boys," in which he played Carl Brennan, Sean Penn's friend in the movie. He portrayed the character Connor Roy on "Succession" and played Cameron Frye in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off."