Missouri Supreme Court upholds lower court ruling against man accused in Columbia arson case

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Missouri Supreme Court has upheld a lower court ruling in a lawsuit filed against a man accused in a Columbia arson case.

Mehrdad Fotoohighiam and his lawyers appealed a circuit court ruling granting Marcia Green $2.75 million in damages after Fotoohighiam was accused of ordering another person to burn down her mobile home in 2014.

Michael Berry, the lawyer for Fotoohighiam, argued before the Missouri Supreme Court in June that Green's side presented “a multiplicity of conspiracy theories” about how Fotoohighiam was allegedly involved in the arson. Those theories conflicted with each other and were invalid, Berry argued.

Berry argued that Fotoohighiam had never met one of the conspirators, despite the fact that the man worked for him.

Andrew Veatch, a lawyer for Green, countered that even if one of the alleged conspirators had no involvement in burning Green's trailer, that did not mean other named conspirators were not involved.

The Missouri Supreme Court denied Fotoohighiam's request because the circuit court was correct in its ruling in Green's favor and in its rejection of Fotoohighiam's request for a new trial, according to documents.

A Boone County jury found Fotoohighiam not guilty of arson last year.

Fotoohighiam still faces a count each of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder, online court records say.

A two-week jury trial is set for Sept. 28 with an alternative date of May 17, according to online court records.