By : Piper McDaniel
https://muckrack.com/piper-mcdaniel
The parents of a man who died in a fire in Northeast Portland in 2017 have filed a nearly $6 million lawsuit against the apartment owners and the man accused of setting the fire.
Batool and Ali Alhaji have filed a lawsuit over the death of their son, Taher Ali Alhaji, who died July 23, 2017 in a fire allegedly set by Ryan Thomas Monaco.
According to a police affidavit, Monaco had been visiting his ex-girlfriend, Ashley Mercier, who lived with Alhaji and Jason Miller, and set the couch on fire after they got in an argument and she left the apartment. Taher Alhaji and Miller both died in the fire, an event Mercier described as a nightmare.
Monaco was indicted on 17 charges, including four counts of aggravated murder, three counts of arson, strangulation and four counts of animal abuse. He is awaiting trial.
According to the affidavit, Mercier said she had met up with Monaco, against whom she had a restraining order, for drinks and they went back to her apartment, got in an argument and Mercier left.
Mercier said Monaco had texted and called multiple times demanding that she come back, and then called and told her that he had soaked the couch in gasoline and “it was the first to burn.”
A surveillance video located by police showed Monaco leaving his car parked in front the apartment and going into the house. Later, Monaco is seen leaving as the apartment catches on fire.
When fire crews and police responded to a fire call at the residence on Northeast Glisan Street at 3:20 a.m., they found the apartment engulfed in flames. Fire crews discovered one body “immediately” when they entered the apartment and found another in the second-floor bathroom. They also found a dead dog and several dead reptiles.
Alhaji’s parents are suing apartment owner Farhoud Mohammad and property manager Moe Farhoud, claiming the apartment did not have functioning smoke detectors, automatic fire extinguishing systems and fire escapes. They also allege the owners failed to test smoke detectors and ensure they had working batteries.
They are also suing Monaco for negligence, alleging he failed to warn Alhaji.
Haji’s parents are seeking a jury trial and noneconomic damages of $5.8 million.
https://www.oregonlive.com/news/2020/02/parents-of-portland-man-who-died-in-apartment-fire-file-6m-lawsuit.html