Florida sues burial company over cemetery practices

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - The state sued a large burial company Friday, claiming it misplaced remains and sold fake plots at two South Florida cemeteries. <br> <br> The suit also claims that at least once, workers dumped remains in an adjacent field where wild hogs roamed. <br> <br> The state began investigating after relatives of people buried at Service Corporation International&#39;s Menorah Gardens cemeteries in Palm Beach and Broward counties sued the Houston-based company in December. That lawsuit seeks class-action status. <br> <br> A week later, a South Florida manager for the company committed suicide. <br> <br> Company officials have denied knowledge of any wrongdoing and said they are investigating. <br> <br> The state&#39;s civil complaint, filed by Attorney General Bob Butterworth, alleges deceptive and unfair trade practices. <br> <br> The lawsuit asks the court to assign an independent receiver to correct problems, and locate and identify remains. The cemeteries allegedly knew bodies were buried in the wrong spaces but failed to inform the families. <br> <br> &#34;Hopefully, our action today will lessen the burden of those impacted by practices at the Menorah Gardens cemeteries,&#34; Butterworth said. <br> <br> Butterworth&#39;s office is inspecting other Florida cemeteries owned by the company and said the complaint could be expanded if illegal practices are discovered. <br>

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