Inmate files wrongful death suit over son’s fatal 2020 motorcycle crash
NEW PHILADELPHIA (WJER) (August 9, 2024) – The father of a man killed in a motorcycle crash in 2020 is seeking $2.5 million in a wrongful death suit against the city of Dover, Tuscarawas County and the owner of the property where the crash took place.
The father, Fred Billiter, identifies himself as inmate number A383-177 in the Noble County Correctional Center. Court records indicate he has served nearly 25 years of a 31-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to two counts of rape and other charges in 1999.
He is not represented by a lawyer in the wrongful death case in Tuscarawas County Common Pleas Court, and his lawsuit contains several errors. It omits that crash report says it did not take place in the city of Dover and misidentifies the city-owned electricity provider as “Ohio Power Company.” Also, Ohio’s statute of limitations for wrongful death claims is two years.
Dover Law Director Gina Space wouldn’t go into specifics, but she said the city is planning a response.
In the complaint, Billiter says his son lost control of his motorcycle when it malfunctioned, went off the road and crashed into a utility pole on May 24, 2020. The crash occurred on Columbia Road Northwest in Dover Township, just north of Dover.