Jury Rules That Owner of Historic North Carolina Inn Set Fire

The company that owned of a historic inn in Asheville, N.C., that burned down four years ago won’t be able to collect on a $6 million insurance policy after a federal jury ruled it help intentionally set the fire.

The Asheville Citizen-Times reported that the ownership group, The Hammocks LLC, was responsible for the March 19, 2009, fire at the Richmond Hill Inn.

The 1889 Victorian mansion was completely consumed by the blaze. Though investigators ruled the cause of the fire was arson, there has never been an arrest in the case.

U.S. District Court Judge Martin Reidinger also ruled The Hammocks must pay the legal bills incurred by Harleysville Mutual Insurance Co. in fighting the lawsuit. William Gray, managing member of The Hammocks, declined to comment.