‘Shawshank Redemption’ Lawsuit in Oak Tree Center, Ohio

mansfieldOhio (WJW) — A piece of Ohio film history was mistakenly burned and its owner evaded potential merchandising revenue, according to a newly filed civil lawsuit. Richland County.

The iconic oak tree seen near the end of the movie The Shawshank Redemption once stood along Pleasant Valley Road near Malabar Farm State Park in Lucas. Collapsed by strong winds in 2011 and 2016, According to the Shawshank Trail tourism website.

According to the civil complaint, co-owner of the property, Dan Dees of Mansfield, intended to clean up and divide the remains of the trees and turn them into memorabilia for sale. He made a deal with the owner, William Spawn, to keep the wood planks on his property so that they could be lumbered and sold as needed.

By October 2019, the spawn was about 500 board feet from the bottom end of the tree. That month, however, Deeds found the pieces gone, he claims. Spawn claimed that one of his employees was accidentally burned while clearing his property.

Dees’ civil suit, filed in November, brings three counts of action against Spohn for monetary loss and damages.

Spawn, in response to Deeds’ complaint, denied agreeing to store the remains of the tree on his property. Spohn argued that Dees had left the remains of the tree tail on his property for more than two years on his property, and that it had been so long that Dees had no right to seek damages.

Court records show the case has been assigned to Richland County Judge Philip Naumoff, who will begin scheduling court dates on Thursday, Feb. 9, according to court records.

The 1994 prison drama The Shawshank Redemption, starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman, is considered one of the greatest movies of all time.currently holding 98% viewership on Rotten TomatoesTaken at . Old Mansfield Reformersjust a few miles away from where the oak tree once stood.

The plot follows Robbins’ character, Andy Dufresne, who is sentenced to prison for a murder he didn’t commit and later escapes. While in prison, he befriends Freeman’s character Ellis Boyd “Red” Redding and hides his gifts under some stones near a tree.