Dean Gillispie, an Ohio man who was wrongfully imprisoned for two decades, wants the $45 million he won in a civil case but his township says it can't afford to pay the bill.
Miami Township near Dayton is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to take another look at a lower court's ruling against it. Thetownship is arguingthat state law regarding government employee protections against lawsuits conflicts with federal court rulings.
Gillispie, 60, of Fairborn,won the judgment in 2022in a federal lawsuit he lodged against the township and its former detective, Matthew Scott Moore. Since the jury decision in 2022, the township has been accruing interest on the unpaid settlement.
Gillispie declined to comment.
The township appealed and in May 2025, a three-judge panel of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals sided with Gillispie and declined to lower the amount. The township, which has raised the possibility it'll be forced into bankruptcy, said its insurer went out of business before the claim arose.
The Ohio Township Association and Ohio Chamber of Commerce filed briefs supporting Miami Township. In its brief, the state chamber argues that unpredictable monetary judgments against local governments could lead to widespread financial instability.
Who is Dean Gillispie?
Gillispie was convicted in the rape and kidnapping of twin sisters in one attack and a third woman in a second attack. But the jury in the federal civil lawsuit found that Moore violated Gillispie's rights by hiding evidence that would have helped Gillispie's defense and creating unfair lineup procedures for the victims.
No biological evidence ever tied Gillispie to the crimes.
Gillispie was released from prison in 2011, exonerated in 2017 and declared wrongfully imprisoned in 2021. TheOhio Innocence Projectat the University of Cincinnati law school, former Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro and Gillispie's mother, Juana Gillispie, worked to free him and clear his name.
Laura Bischoff can be reached at lbischoff@usatodayco.com and @lbischoff on X.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer:Ohio township asks Supreme Court to weigh in on Dean Gillispie case
