COLUMBUS, Ohio — An Ohio ex-doctor was responsible for the death of an expectant mother who died after answering a Craigslist ad for housecleaning services, according to a $40 million lawsuit that also targets the physician's employer and Craigslist.
The lawsuit filed Monday in county court north of Columbus blames former physician Ali Salim for the death of Deanna Ballman last summer.
Craigslist should have known Salim was dangerous because other women who responded to ads Salim placed had experienced problems that were reported to police and Craigslist, according to the lawsuit.
"Craigslist was on notice and knew or should have known defendant Ali Salim was inherently dangerous to its Internet users," said the lawsuit, filed on behalf of the woman's family.
It also says Salim's employer, Knox Community Hospital, was negligent for allowing him to take syringes that the lawsuit says were used to inject Ballman with heroin. Messages seeking comment were left Tuesday for the hospital and Craigslist.
The lawsuit also alleges someone helped Salim inject the 23-year-old woman with heroin, something investigators say they've tried unsuccessfully to prove.
Nine months pregnant, Ballman was alive on July 31, 2012, when Salim placed her in the back of her car and drove her to a rural road in Delaware County where she was found dead the next day, according to the lawsuit.
Investigators, including the Delaware County coroner, have previously declined to say when Ballman died.
