$2.7 Million Awarded in Ohio Wrongful Death Case

Shannon Weidemann

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A mother has been fighting for 10 years to prove that Franklin County could have prevented her daughter's death.  A jury found the county negligent and awarded her $2.7 Million in a wrongful death lawsuit.  Her daughter called 911 three times and it took dispatchers 26 minutes to send an officer to her home.  The police officer did not hear anything from inside the apartment when he knocked on the door and left.  The victim was being assaulted by her estranged boyfriend, information that was not given to Officer Ratliff.

Two other dispatchers testified they had more information they did not give Ratliff, including the fact that Kirk could be heard yelling at a male in the background and that the violence appeared to be escalating.

Ratliff testified that he never knew about that and that he would have burst into the apartment had he known Kirk was inside fighting for her life. Moss later confessed to the killing, saying he had been trying to smother Kirk as Ratliff knocked on her door.

The county argued that the estranged boyfriend was responsible for the death and they plan to appeal the verdict.  Kirk's mother feels as if a great weight has been lifted from her.  The assistant county prosecutor counseled the county to settle for less but they decided to go to trial.