A recent court ruling has affirmed the dismissal of a lawsuit that accused several defendants, including a village council member and a police chief, of malicious prosecution and other civil claims. The case was filed by Freddie Craig in the Ashland County Court of Common Pleas on June 29, 2023, against Joyce Amos and Police Chief Jerry Snay, among others. Craig alleged that he was wrongfully charged with menacing by stalking due to actions taken by the defendants.
The legal saga began when Craig amended his complaint to include allegations that Amos and Chief Snay had him arrested and prosecuted without probable cause on January 6, 2021. He claimed this led to charges being filed against him for menacing by stalking—a charge carrying potential jail time. However, these charges were dismissed on June 7, 2022. Craig’s complaint included claims of malicious prosecution, abuse of process, false light invasion of privacy, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and civil conspiracy.
In November 2023, Amos filed a motion for judgment on the pleadings based on absolute privilege from civil liability—a doctrine protecting individuals from lawsuits over statements made during judicial proceedings. The trial court found that Amos’ statements were protected under this privilege because they were related to judicial proceedings. Consequently, all claims against her were dismissed in May 2024.
Similarly, Chief Snay filed for summary judgment in February 2025 after consulting with Prosecutor Michael Brown about the charges against Craig. Brown determined there was probable cause for the arrest based on evidence presented by Snay but did not find any malice or lack of probable cause in Snay’s actions. As such, the court granted summary judgment in favor of Snay in May 2025.
Craig appealed these decisions but focused solely on the claim of malicious prosecution against Snay while not contesting other claims such as abuse of process or invasion of privacy. His appeal argued that both Amos and Snay should be held liable despite their legal protections due to personal conflicts between him and Amos over property issues dating back to their time as council members together.
Ultimately, the appellate court upheld the lower court’s rulings citing Ohio law which provides absolute immunity for statements made during judicial proceedings or those initiating such processes—such as reports made to law enforcement about criminal activity. This immunity is designed to encourage reporting without fear of civil liability even if accusations turn out false later.
Freddie Craig sought damages for emotional distress and reputational harm caused by what he viewed as wrongful legal actions initiated against him; however, his case was unable to overcome established legal doctrines protecting officials acting within their professional capacities from personal liability under these circumstances.
Representing Freddie Craig was attorney W. Jeffrey Moore while Patrick M. Roche along with Kurt D. Anderson defended Joyce Amos; John D. Latchney and W. Bradford Longbrake represented Jerry Snay. The panel presiding over this decision included Judges Robert G. Montgomery (authoring opinion), Craig R. Baldwin (Presiding Judge), and Kevin W. Popham under Case No: 25-COA-019.
Source: 2026Ohio129_Craig_v_Amos_Opinion_Ohio_Court_of_Appeals.pdf