<p>All the funeral homes named in a civil lawsuit along with Tri-State Crematory operator Ray Brent Marsh have settled, court officials said Wednesday.</p><p>The lawsuit in federal court in Rome stemmed from the criminal case against Marsh, who is accused of dumping 334 bodies and passing off cement dust as ashes to families of some of the deceased. He also faces 787 state felony charges.</p><p>The class-action suit was originally filed against nearly 50 funeral homes, Marsh and the estate of Marshs late father on behalf of 1,600 relatives of people whose bodies were sent to the crematory between 1988 and 2002 from funeral homes in Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama.</p><p>The suit accuses Marsh of negligence and fraud and also names of Marshs family members who served as officers at the crematory and funeral homes that sent corpses to the crematory.</p><p>Plantiffs lawyers blamed funeral directors for not knowing more about what was taking place at the crematory, and the operators for mishandling human remains.</p><p>By Wednesday morning, only Wann Funeral Home and Covenant Funeral Service, both of Chattanooga, Tenn., and about 220 families were involved in the lawsuit, in addition to Marsh and his family, said funeral home lawyer Andy Davis. The other funeral homes had settled previously.</p><p>The two remaining funeral homes settled on Wednesday, a clerk for U.S. District Judge Harold L. Murphy said after court recessed at mid-morning.</p><p>Davis said Wednesday that he hoped the settlement would bring closure.</p><p>There has been enough emotion, enough suffering on behalf of the families and on behalf of the funeral directors, he said.</p><p>Robert Smalley, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said he could not comment on the amount of money awarded in the settlements pending the notification of all families involved.</p><p>Court was to resume Thursday morning.</p><p>On Tuesday, two other funeral homes that settled _ Turner Funeral Home and Family Mortuary of Chattanooga, Tenn., and the now-defunct House of Overstreet Mortuary in Dalton _ received preapproval for agreements reached with plaintiffs lawyers.</p><p>Martin Karo, who represents Turner Funeral Home, said he could not give details of the proposed settlement, citing confidentiality agreements.</p><p>We felt very good about the defense of our case and about our liability, he said. But we felt it was best to resolve our differences and settle rather than to continue litigation.</p><p>Plaintiffs lawyer Robert Dorough said much of the settlement has yet to be worked out.</p><p>Well take a judgment against them and collect from whatever (insurance) policies are available, he said. Im not confident there will be much.</p><p>Officials said Family Mortuary and House of Overstreet were not insured.</p><p>Civil lawsuits also are pending in Georgia and Tennessee courts.</p>
