<p>A former crematorium operator accused of dumping 334 bodies and passing off cement dust as ashes, as well as the funeral homes that didnt monitor him, broke a sacred trust, a lawyer for families suing them said Friday.</p><p>In her opening statements in a federal lawsuit, Kathryn Barnett, the plaintiffs lawyer, urged jurors to punish Tri-State Crematory operator Ray Brent Marsh, several of his family members and five funeral homes for their actions.</p><p>There was a culture in this family of disrespect for the dead that stretched from father to son, Barnett said.</p><p>Marsh faces 787 felony charges after investigators found hundreds of uncremated bodies on his property in Noble in 2002.</p><p>In response, funeral home lawyer Andy Davis blamed Marsh for what happened and said his clients should not be held responsible.</p><p>This case is about deception, perhaps the greatest deception ever, Davis said. The facts are undisputed. Ray Brent Marsh deceived us all. And it was a perfect deception.</p><p>Frank Jenkins, a lawyer for Marsh and several of his family members who worked at the crematory said police conducted a sloppy investigation and rushed to judgment in concluding that Marsh was responsible. The resulting media frenzy, he said, caused hundreds of families to think Marsh didnt cremate their loved ones when he actually did.</p><p>Jenkins also tried to explain how cement got mixed in with the remains that were returned to families. He said that the bottom of the crematory machine was made of a type of cement that could have gotten mixed in with ashes after the process was complete.</p><p>It didnt mean that cremation didnt happen or wasnt done properly, Jenkins said.</p><p>Seven other funeral homes named in the lawsuit have reach settlements. Another 40 reached settlements before the trial.</p><p>In total, settlements have reached more than $20 million, said Robert Smalley, a lawyer for the plaintiffs.</p>
