The family of an Arkansas man who had hoped to be “raptured” is suing the funeral home that “accidentally” cremated his body.
It happened in Jonesboro, where an attorney retained by the family has filed a lawsuit against a Little Rock funeral home after his clients said the funeral home cremated their loved one against their wishes, preventing the deceased from being “raptured following the second coming.”
According to the suit, Harold D. Lee of Pauline, South Carolina, wished to be buried next to his parents at a Quitman, Arkansas, cemetery after he was found dead on Thanksgiving Day of 2019.
The lawsuit, filed by Brandon Lacy of Lacy Law Firm on Mar. 8 of this year, said Harold was transferred from the Roller-McNutt Funeral Home based on his final wishes. The six-page suit stated the family “made arrangements with Roller-McNutt Funeral Home for the purposes of the transfer, funeral arrangements, casket purchase, and internment.”
Being extremely religious, the suit stated Harold “stickily desired not to be cremated, as he believed his body would be raptured following the second coming.” However, the funeral home notified the family on Dec. 10, 2019, that they “accidentally cremated the body.”
The suit stated the plaintiff, Eunice Lee, Harold’s wife, was violently shaking in shock when she learned of the mistake.
Lacy stated that the funeral home’s actions caused Harold’s family “extreme mental and emotional distress” after failing to abide by Harold’s demands.
Roller-McNutt waived the cost of the funeral, apologized for the mistake, and returned the $5,000 it was paid in burial insurance after the mistake was made, according to the lawsuit.
Harold’s family is asking for financial restitution and to recover damages.
An attorney for the funeral home, Michael Harrison, admitted his clients cremated Harold but denied all other allegations by his family.
Local TV affiliate Region 8 News called Roller-McNutt Funeral Home after hours upon learning of the litigation; the station said the person who responded referred them to the corporate office, who have yet to respond to the request for a statement.
No court dates have been set.
Damn, I hate when that happens.!
If the family believes this, I suggest they get their Bibles out and study it a little better this time. It says we were formed from the dust of the earth and to dust we shall return. We must leave this corrupt body and put on an incorruptible body. Sin cannot enter Heaven. So I suggest they study and relieve there minds.
If the family bought a casket didn’t the funeral home realize it was to be a burial?
In these large corporate owned funeral homes, they handle so many families at one time they lose contact with who gets what. When this happens, someone didn’t read the arm band or toe tag. That would have cleared it up for the cremator. I would never go to a corporate owned funeral home. They just can’t or won’t do the proper service arrangements. You don’t hear of a privately owned funeral home doing this. It’s always the corporate guys.