Morgan & Morgan Lawsuit Against Galilee Memorial Gardens Gains Class Action Status
Nashville, TN (PRWEB) November 10, 2015 -- Morgan & Morgan has announced today that their lawsuit* against Galilee Memorial Gardens Cemetery, filed by Kathryn Barnett on February 9th 2014, has gained class action certification. The lawsuit was filed for the alleged reckless mishandling of remains as well as charges of emotional distress, breach of contract, and breach of fiduciary duty.
The initial lawsuit contains 31 different claimants, all who had loved ones buried in the cemetery. The Johnson family was one of the first families to discover the cemetery’s alleged misconduct. Joe Johnson is a citizen and resident of Memphis and had used funeral services, including the final deposition at Galilee, for his daughter Renisha Johnson, who died in April 2013.
According to the complaint, further light was shed on the investigation when the Shelby County District Attorney General conducted a search warrant for Galilee Memorial Gardens in January 2014. They found that the cemetery had buried three different bodies in the same grave plot between March 9th and March 12th of the previous year.
Furthermore, the lawsuit also states that the owner of the cemetery, Jemar Lambert, was charged with illegally burying bodies outside cemetery grounds, theft amassing over $60,000, and operating without a license since 2010. In face of the aforementioned crimes, Lambert had his bond revoked by the Supreme court in February 2014. The Shelby County Criminal Court Judge, Lee Coffey, described Lambert’s actions as a “crime against humanity… and everything that is good.”
Morgan & Morgan filed the lawsuit on behalf of everyone affected by the events at Galilee, including those who were next of kin of any decedent delivered to the cemetery, and any persons or entities with any defendant regarding funeral arrangements for a decedent at Galilee.
The class action certification indicates that thousands were buried in the four years that the cemetery has been operating without a license. Hundreds of families have done business with funeral homes associated with Galilee and are distraught over allegations that the cemetery mismanaged their loved ones. Many families are still unable to locate the remains of their loved ones as the cemetery has no grave markers indicating where the bodies lie. With the class action, many other victims can come forward and receive monetary compensation for the mistreatment of their deceased loved ones.
If you have a loved one buried in the Galilee Memorial Gardens Cemetery, and are affected by events surrounding this class action, contact Morgan & Morgan for information about your legal rights.
- Akilah Louise Woffod, et. al., v. M.J. Edwards & Sons Funeral Home, Inc et. Al., case number CH-14-0197, in the Chancery Court of Shelby County, Tennessee, for the Thirtieth Judicial District at Memphis
About Morgan & Morgan
Morgan & Morgan is one of the largest exclusively plaintiffs’ law firms in the US, with 25 offices throughout Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and New York. The firm handles cases nationally involving discrimination, personal injury, medical malpractice, consumer class action, and securities fraud—as well as complex litigation against drug and medical device manufacturers.
For further press inquiries contact:
Dov Slansky – Attorney
dov(at)forthepeople.com
Dov Slansky, Morgan & Morgan, PA, http://www.forthepeople.com, +1 (877) 667-4265, [email protected]
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