Columbia man acquitted in arson trial files suit against city, police and prosecutor

COLUMBIA, Missouri (KMIZ)

A Columbia man who was acquitted in an arson trial two years ago has sued the city of Columbia, the Columbia Police Department and the Boone County District Attorney.

Mehrdad Fotoohighiam was accused of arson. He was acquitted in 2019. The indictment also names Jennifer Wilson, Scott Christopher, Ali Rastkar and Marcia Green – the woman who authorities say was the victim of the arson – as defendants.

The lawsuit alleges that Fotoohighiam was wrongfully imprisoned from 2017 to 2022 for the arson case and another case in which he was accused of conspiracy to murder his wife, in which he was acquitted in 2022.

The lawsuit, filed this week, alleges that the defendants denied Fotoohighiam due process by withholding material, falsifying evidence and violating his rights under the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

Court documents filed Wednesday say Fotoohighiam was wrongfully imprisoned for several years after Green's trailer burned down. The lawsuit alleges that investigators did not “properly interview or examine” Green and other witnesses.

Court documents allege that Green and other defendants worked together to set fire to their property and lied to investigators. The documents state that Green “made many inconsistent statements, including that she suffered burns on the back of her hand from the fire, where she was when the fire started, and how the fire spread,” and that she was not investigated. The damages listed in the court documents include a $5 million bond paid by Fotoohighiam.

Authorities allege that Fotoohighiam hired his employee James Hall to burn down Green's mobile home in a property dispute. Hall was also acquitted.