Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson Named In Lawsuit After Son Chet’s California Car Wreck

Tom Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson, have been named in a lawsuit after their son Chet allegedly rear-ended man’s car on a California highway in February 2015. In court documents obtained by People, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson are both named alongside Chet as defendants in the lawsuit filed by plaintiff Terry Moogan.

In the lawsuit, Moogan accused Chet Hanks of driving on the California 110 highway while “under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol” when the alleged car accident occurred in Los Angeles last year, and he claimed that since Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson were aware of their son’s state of mind and are the owners of the vehicle, they should also be held partially responsible. Moogan cites physical and emotional injuries in the suit.

“Chester Hanks was driving his vehicle in an unreasonable and unsafe manner and was under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol at the time his vehicle struck Mr. Moogan’s vehicle…Despite knowing that Chester Hanks was a careless and reckless driver and a habitual user of drugs and alcohol, they negligently permitted Chester Hanks to operate their vehicle, and thus, in addition to Chester Hanks, are responsible for the physical and emotional injuries Mr. Moogan sustained.”

The 25-year-old son of Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson opened up about his addiction struggles last summer after he went to rehab, but not before making headlines for his bad boy behavior. Chet Hanks, who sometimes goes by his rapper name Chet Haze, was previously accused of trashing a hotel room in London, causing more than $1,800 in damages to a room at the Arora International Hotel in Crawley. According to E! News, damages to the luxury hotel room included shattered glass and a TV set that was ripped off the wall.

Hanks also got into a flame war with Howard Stern, in which the Hollywood heir threatened the radio shock jock, according to Entertainment Tonight. After Stern said he felt bad for Tom Hanks, the rapper blasted the Sirius XM radio host and threatened him. In a series of now-deleted social media posts, Tom Hanks’ son told Stern he hopes he travels with security and boasted about his parents’ money.

“It’s a shame you don’t hang in the same circles as my family (not enough bread for that) cuz if you did I woulda already seen u.”

Last year, Tom Hanks spoke out about his troubled son after Chet posted a series of videos on Instagram talking about his struggles with addiction and his eventual decision to go to rehab. In the videos, which can be seen in part below, Hanks’ son said that he had been selling drugs and doing massive amounts cocaine. But he also offered hope to those in a similar situation.

“I was selling coke [and] doing coke until I couldn’t even snort it up my nose anymore because it was so clogged. I even smoked crack. If I can change, you can change. There is a solution.”

Chet added that he did not want to glorify anything that he has done and said “there’s nothing glorious” about bringing yourself closer to death with each day of active addiction. The rapper also pointed to his privileged childhood, saying it had been hard for him to figure out how to fit in.

“It’s been a long journey discovering who I am. Because all the pressures that I’ve dealt with in my life — you know, being the son of my dad and everything. Just trying to find where I fit in.”

In response to Chet’s recovery, Tom Hanks told Entertainment Tonight that he was proud of his son for coming clean and opening up about his struggles, and he offered his full support.

“As a parent, you love your kids unconditionally. You support them every step of the way. You got to applaud the bravery and honesty when it actually comes out of your own house.”

Tom Hanks has not commented on Chet’s car accident lawsuit. Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson’s oldest son, Colin, is a Golden Globe-nominated actor.

Take a look at the video to see Tom Hanks talking about his son’s battle with addiction.

[Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images]