Can I Sue A Funeral Home For Mishandling My Deceased Loved One?

The passing of a family member or loved one is always painful and challenging for those who are left behind. Grief has a way of making even the most minor tasks feel challenging and even overwhelming. Loved ones feel excessive pressure to make the right choices and invest in every detail of the final arrangements for their loved ones as a sign of their love and dedication to the deceased. At these harrowing times, the family often places a great deal of trust in the funeral home or mortuary who will be handling the body of their loved one and assisting with the final arrangements for a service, visitation time, burial, or cremation.

In many cases, the family is distraught by the loss of their loved one and turns to the staff at the funeral home to provide guidance and help in making the proper choices and selections for this last act of respect. The mourning family believes that the professionals they are working with share the same level of dedication and concern as they do to make the preparations perfect for this last celebration of their loved one’s life. However, that is not always the case. Sadly, there are many instances of mishandling the deceased and their remains, which can result in added trauma and emotional scarring for their loved ones.

If you and your family have recently suffered the loss of a loved one only to discover that the funeral home mishandled them, failed to meet the industry standards for funeral homes and the services they provide, or failed to meet the obligation of the contract that you entered into with them, please know that the dedicated and caring legal professionals at Normandie Law Firm are here to help. Our staff can be reached 24/7 to help you understand your legal rights and how to hold the funeral home and its staff accountable for the harm they have inflicted on your family and lost loved one at this most difficult time.

We hope you will accept our offer for a free consultation to meet with a skilled Normandie Law Firm attorney who specializes in handling cases of funeral home neglect and mishandling of the deceased. After sharing the facts of the incident and issues you view as wrongdoings, our expert will help you understand the legal merit of your claim and if you have grounds for a mishandling of remains or a funeral home negligence lawsuit. With this valuable information, you can take your time to make the choices that are best for you and your loved ones. We only ask that you reach out to our exceptional team as swiftly as possible, as there is a time limit for you to take legal action against the funeral home or mortuary that mishandled or was negligent in their duties of preparing your loved one for burial.

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What Can Go Wrong Before Or During Your Loved One’s Funeral?
We place great trust and value on the services provided by a funeral home or mortuary. They are given the last physical remains of a loved one, and we expect them to be treated with the same care and respect we would show. However, most people rarely request details regarding the services provided by a funeral home. They are more at peace simply knowing the staff will prepare their loved one for burial without knowing all the details and technical information that could be considered terribly upsetting to the average person.

By having what might be considered blind faith in the funeral home staff to perform the tasks required thoroughly and professionally, we assume that all will work out in the best possible fashion. The visitation, service, and funeral will be completed without any added drama or worries. Sadly, some families find that their trust was misplaced when they are forced to endure pain and even shame due to these common results of mishandling the body of a deceased person:

• There is a distinct odor to the body because it was not adequately cleaned or embalmed
• The preparation of the body was not completed correctly, and the body in the casket looks nothing like what was promised to the family
• The body was damaged during the preparation process and cannot be viewed by mourners
• The casket falls from the stand during the viewing or service
• The casket is dropped, and the body falls from the casket as it is being moved or transported

If you and your loved ones have faced the added pain and stress of any examples of mishandling of your loved one’s body during the funeral process, please know that Normandie Law Firm is here to help you seek justice for your loved one and all that your family has been forced to endure. Please contact our staff today to learn more.

Understanding California Funeral Home Negligence
California’s specific laws govern the services provided by a funeral home or mortuary. These businesses are required to provide care and services that comply with state laws and industry standards for the handling of human remains and the deceased. By operating a business in this industry, the staff accept these standards and vow to meet their obligations under this duty of care. These standards include:

• The ethical care and respect for the deceased
• Proper embalming
• Respectful and careful transportation
• Complying with all industry standards for the process of preparing a body for burial

It is also critical to understand that these standards and the duty of care apply to all staff, from the funeral director to the staff transporting the body or casket. Finally, in this industry, duty of care is extended to cover the arrangements made by the family and any special requests that might have been included in the contract entered into between the family and the funeral home. If any staff fails to meet these vital standards, the deceased’s family could have grounds for a funeral home negligence lawsuit due to a breach of duty of care.

Who Can Sue For Mishandling Of The Deceased?
While you might have thought that planning a funeral for your loved one was your final act of love and respect, sadly, that is not always the case. If your loved one’s body was mistreated during the preparation for burial or the funeral, you could have the right to seek justice for them with a negligence lawsuit against the funeral home who committed these atrocities if you are:

• The surviving spouse of the deceased
• A child of the deceased
• The deceased surviving parent
• An adult sibling of the deceased
• A competent adult in the next level of kinship, such as an aunt, uncle, or cousin

What Is The Potential Compensation For A Funeral Home Negligence Lawsuit?
Sadly, no dollar amount can reverse the trauma and pain family members suffer when they discover there was mishandling of a loved one’s body. Many feel they failed their loved ones and their obligation to provide for their last wishes. These feelings will never be erased. However, when you work with the Normandie Law Firm team to file a funeral home negligence lawsuit, you can recover compensation that will assist with your financial hardships, such as:

• The cost of services from another funeral home or mortuary to properly prepare the deceased for burial
• Some or all of the fees paid to the negligent funeral home
• Your lost wages if you took time off to sort out the issues of the mishandling of your loved one’s body
• Any medical expenses if you needed to seek physical or emotional care due to the stress and hardships of the funeral home’s negligence
• All legal expenses related to the mishandling of the deceased lawsuit
• In cases of gross negligence, such as selling body parts or burying more than one body in the casket, you can seek punitive damages due to the intentional fraud and harm caused

When To Contact Normandie Law Firm
If you can reach out to the Normandie Law Firm team as soon as you discover the funeral home negligence or mishandling of your loved one, our staff will immediately begin to provide the information and support you need to correct as many issues as possible. It is also vital to understand that you have two years from the mishandling to file a claim against the funeral home. If the case is not filed with the court by the second anniversary of the negligence, you will lose the right to seek compensation and justice for your loved one and family due to the actions of the funeral home.

No Upfront Legal Fees Or Added Stress
When you are dealing with the loss of a loved one and discover someone has mistreated their body while preparing it for burial, your stress level is sure to be at the max. The caring team at Normandie Law Firm is here to help you understand your options and take action to repair as much damage as possible. And we are prepared to handle any such crisis with legal merit without requiring upfront fees.

We provide the help you need without the distraction of more bills and financial challenges. The firm only gets paid after the case is resolved, and you have the compensation that includes funds to cover your legal expenses. Finally, if we fail to win your funeral home negligence lawsuit, you owe Normandie Law Firm nothing. Please contact our staff and allow us to make this terrible situation better for you and your loved ones.

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