It’s almost unimaginable, but true. There are some unethical funeral home operators who – knowing that they are dealing with people when they are at their weakest and most vulnerable – take advantage of their grief and perpetrate fraud against them. In most cases, when a person goes to a funeral home it is because they have just lost somebody who was dear to them, and they need to make arrangements for their final journey. They want to do right by them and send them off with dignity and respect, but they often aren’t thinking clearly because of their grief. Fraudulent funeral home operators who are more interested in profit then people may overcharge the mourner, or try to make them feel bad for not spending an exorbitant amount of money on funeral trappings. They may promise services that they never deliver, trusting that they will never be caught. At the Philadelphia law firm of Bochetto & Lentz, these actions are as shocking to us as they are to you, and when we find out about them we take immediate action. We file lawsuits against those who perpetrate funeral home fraud and get justice for those who they have cheated.
Most professional funeral home operators are dedicated to providing mourners and the deceased with a dignified departure, but those who do not hold themselves to high standards can embark on a number of different types of funeral home fraud. Though in some cases fraud consists of trying to sell a person a prepaid funeral package and then not delivering on the promised benefits, or convincing them that they only have very expensive caskets available for sale, other unscrupulous acts are even more upsetting when they are discovered. These include:
- Cremating a person who was supposed to be buried in a grave
- Failing to provide proper storage for the deceased’s body, resulting in decomposition
- Not following proper burial procedures for a deceased person, or entirely failing to bury the body
- Not providing proper embalming services
- Placing multiple bodies in a single coffin
- Removing body parts and selling them
- Failing to provide appropriate maintenance and protection for a grave
It is part of our culture to expect that when people are most vulnerable, they will be treated well, so when we hear about unsuspecting people being taken advantage of while they are suffering emotional pain, or about a dead person’s body being treated with disrespect, we are universally appalled. When it happens to somebody you love, it is even more upsetting. Rather than feeling helpless, you can take action and hold those responsible for funeral home fraud accountable. Contact the Philadelphia law firm of Bochetto & Lentz to learn more about how we can help you pursue a lawsuit seeking compensation for the wrongs that you’ve suffered.
