The estate of Greg Biffle has been hit with two multi-million dollar lawsuits following the tragic plane crash which claimed the NASCAR legend’s life along with six others.
Biffle died on December 18 along with wife Cristina and their two children – Emma, 14, and Ryder, 5 – when their private jet crashed into the runway at Statesville Regional Airport in North Carolina.
Four months on from the tragedy, the estates of Dennis Dutton, who was piloting the Cessna Citation II, and his son, Jack, have filed two wrongful death lawsuits – in Iredell County, North Carolina – which claim that Biffle was responsible for the deaths.
The suits allege that the tragic crash was caused by ‘inadequate maintenance and upkeep’ of the aircraft, which they claim fell under Biffle’s responsibility.
Overall, the Dutton estates are seeking $15 million for each lawsuit.
Biffle’s jet had departed Statesville Regional Airport, about 45 miles north of Charlotte, about 10 minutes before it crashed, back in December.
NASCAR legend Biffle and his family died after the plane went down in North Carolina
Dennis and Jack Dutton (pictured together) were also on the plane and had pilot’s licenses, as well as Diffle
The plane’s speed and altitude fluctuated significantly during the brief flight. At one point, the plane quickly soared from 1,800 feet (550 meters) up to 4,000 feet (1,220 meters) before descending again.
Just before the crash, it was only a couple of hundred feet off the ground. Experts said its path was consistent with a flight crew that experienced an issue and needed to return quickly.
In the wake of the tragedy, burglars kicked in his bedroom door and stole $30,000 in cash, two handguns, NASCAR memorabilia and a backpack after staging a break-in at his Mooresville mansion the night of January 7 into January 8.
Police believe the thieves entered around 11pm, with surveillance cameras capturing a hooded person near the house. And according to Carolina news station WBTV, the suspect seen on video appeared to know the home’s layout and camera locations, suggesting they were already familiar with the property.
New search warrants also reportedly show that the deceased family’s bank accounts were compromised just hours after the plane crash, while a vile email was also sent to Biffle’s account which read: ‘I heard you’re dead, rest in hell.’
Detectives believe both the burglary and the alleged fraud, which resulted in ‘hundreds of thousands of dollars’ being stolen from Biffle’s family, were potentially coordinated and reliant on insider knowledge of their accounts and routines.
Several people in Greg and Cristina’s ‘inner circle’ were reportedly named in affidavits in new search warrants, according to WBTV. However, the outlet has not disclosed the names of those people as they are yet to be arrested or charged in the case.
Straight after the couple and their children were tragically killed in the plane crash, detectives allege that suspicious activity began on their email and banking accounts; including changes to emails, phone numbers and passwords. Fraudulent activity involving Cristina’s Venmo account was also detected.
The aircraft left an 1,800-foot trail of wreckage after striking trees and airport infrastructure
It is believed bank account information was changed by phone, while at least one fraudulent check was cashed from an account tied to Biffle’s business interests.
The search warrant also claims that other attempts to compromise the bank account were made at multiple branches across state lines.
According to Charlotte news station WSOC TV, the unusual activity started almost immediately after the plane crash, with the disgusting email telling Biffle to ‘rest in hell’ sent just after 2am the following day.
The bank account information was then changed later that day, before the fraudulent check was cashed on December 30 – almost two weeks later.
Then, on the night of January 7, the break-in at Biffle’s family home occurred.
Investigators believe the burglary may have been intended to cover up a larger plan to steal additional assets from the deceased family.
