Updates to our Terms of Use

We are updating our Terms of Use. Please carefully review the updated Terms before proceeding to our website.

Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Back issues
Courthouse News Service Courthouse News Service

No Due Diligence at the Women’s Center?

COLUMBUS, Ohio (CN) - A homeless women's shelter in Ohio hired a man with a 15-year history of violent felonies and he tied up and raped a co-worker, the woman claims in court.

Jane Doe sued Southeast Inc., a nonprofit that runs a women's shelter in Columbus. Southeast and John Does 1-10 are the only defendants in the complaint in Franklin County Court.

Doe claims Southeast hire Rickey Dye and assigned him to work at Rebecca's Place, the shelter where Doe also worked.

He sexually harassed her, she complained and he was fired, Does says in the complaint.

"Soon after Doe complained that Dye had sexually harassed her and Dye was fired, Dye showed up at plaintiff's home one evening," the complaint states. "Brandishing a knife, Dye forced his way into plaintiff's home, tied her up and sexually assaulted her. Dye was subsequently convicted of rape, kidnapping, abduction, and aggravated robbery and of being a repeat offender. Southeast Inc. could and should have foreseen this conduct and could and should have prevented it from happening."

Southeast hired Dye in 2008, by which time he had "a long and well-documented history of violent criminal behavior. Indeed, Dye had spent much of his adult life behind bars due to crimes of violence," the complaint states.

According to the complaint, Dye was convicted of larceny and abduction in 1984, and was paroled in 1986.

The complaint continues: "In November 1987, Dye was convicted of assault and sentenced to 12 months in jail.

"In April 1991, Dye was indicted on felony charges of maiming and robbery after robbing and stabbing a store clerk. He was found guilty and sentenced to 5 years in the Virginia penitentiary.

"In May 1997, Dye was indicted for assault. He was found guilty and sentenced to 12 months in jail.

"In April 1999, Dye was charged with kidnapping and aggravated robbery in Lake County, Ohio. Dye's violent criminal conduct in that case was remarkably similar to his conduct in this case. There, he accused co-workers of having him fired from his job at a Dairy Mart convenience store, threatened them and held a knife to the throat of a woman while she pleaded for her life.

"Southeast hired Due very soon after he finished serving an 8-year sentence for the violent crimes he had committed in Lake County."

Doe says Southeast knew or should have known of Dye's history, and never told her about it.

She seeks compensatory and punitive damages for negligence, recklessness and wantonness.

She is represented by Charles Cooper Jr. with Cooper and Elliot.

Categories / Uncategorized

Subscribe to Closing Arguments

Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.

Loading...