When we lose a loved one, we expect they’ll be treated with the dignity they deserve. Fortunately, in most cases, they are. However, this doesn’t always happen. If your loved one and family have been wronged by a negligent funeral home or cementery, our Miami funeral negligence lawyer is here. Contact Aigen Injury Law today to learn more about what we can do for you.
Funeral Negligence Lawyer Serving Clients in Miami & throughout Miami-Dade County
Here at Aigen Injury Law, we are staunch advocates of all those whose loved ones were improperly treated after passing on. If you need a compassionate yet aggressive attorney who truly cares about the pain and suffering your family was put through, you’re in the right place.
Your Funeral Rights in Florida
After your loved one passes on, you should understand that you do have rights under Florida law. Just some of those rights are as follows:
- In most cases, you do not have to embalm your loved one.
- You do not need a funeral director to carry out final arrangements (if you don’t use a funeral director, however, you must file the death certificate yourself within five days).
- Families may bury their loved ones at home if their property is smaller than two acres and they do not sell burial spaces or merchandise.
Common Types of Funeral or Cemetary Negligence
Unfortunately, there are various ways in which funeral homes or cemeteries can behave negligently, or, in the worst cases, maliciously, with your loved one’s remains. Just some of the most common examples of funeral home or cementery negligence that we’ve seen over the years are as follows:
- Lying about the need to embalm your loved one
- Charging families high costs for cheaply made caskets
- Lying about the availability of cheaper coffins
- Neglecting to send out obituary notices
- Losing grip of the casket and dropping it
- Negligently embalming a body
- Mixing the cremated remains of multiple bodies
- Stealing jewelry or other personal property from a casket
- Burying the wrong body in a plot, or burying an empty coffin
- Abusing corpses
- Stealing organs or other body parts from corpses
- Digging up a casket and trying to re-sell it
Of course, any and all of the aforementioned scenarios are nightmarish and something no one would ever expect to happen to their loved one’s remains. Fortunately, many of these instances are rare, however, they do happen, and if you believe you or your loved one is a victim of funeral home/cementery neglect or abuse, our firm is here to help.
Recoverable Damages
When a funeral home behaves negligently or maliciously, the decedent’s loved ones should be entitled to compensation for both economic and non-economic damages caused by the incident. Some examples of those damages are as follows:
- The cost of funeral expenses
- The loss of enjoyment of life
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- The cost of psychological treatment after the incident
Punitive Damages
In the most egregious or grossly negligent cases, our funeral negligence lawyer can also pursue punitive damages against the funeral home or cementery. You should note that punitive damages don’t compensate victims; they financially punish the nursing home or cementery for their unlawful behavior. If we determine that the compensatory damages you may receive for the grossly negligent actions of a funeral home or cementery are insufficient, we will aggressively pursue punitive damages on your behalf as well.
Contact Our Compassionate Funeral Negligence Lawyer Today
There is nothing more devastating than discovering your loved one was denied a proper burial or send-off. Our legal team is here to fight for the justice you and your family deserve. Contact Aigen Injury Law today to schedule your free initial consultation today so you can tell us your story and so we can hold the right parties accountable.