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.