A Houston family has filed a $50 million (R 723 million) lawsuit after their mother was mistakenly cremated, according to Daily Mail.
In court documents filed earlier this month, the Salazar family claim that Grace Funeral Home in Texas made a mistake when they 'illegally cremated' the body of the late Roberta Salazar.
In an interview with KPRC, her daughter Loyola Galvan said “I wanted her to be buried like she wanted to be buried. That's what I don't understand. What did my mom do to them or what did we do?”
According to the family, Roberta, who passed away on 3 May 2017, gave them a checklist of things she wanted for her funeral.
Roberta asked to wear a cherished dress that her late husband had gifted her for their 40th anniversary. She also created a playlist of her favourite songs that would be played throughout her funeral. She also wanted her casket detailed with the pictures and names of her children, 22 grand-kids, 51 great-grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
Agreeing to their demands, the family entered into agreement with the Funeral Home, adding that two church services would be held on May 12-13.
However, court documents revealed that two days before the first church event, the funeral home cremated her remains without telling the family that they were doing so.
The funeral home then “attempted to intentionally deceive the Plaintiffs into not having an open casket after they had cremated the Plaintiffs’ beloved Roberta by mistake.”
The family also allege that the funeral home had to recuperate Roberta remains, after they had accidently been handed to another family to be buried.
According to the Salazar family, as Pentecostal Christian, Roberta did not believe in cremation. '”It's against my religion,” her daughter Deola Salazar Guijon recalled her mother telling her. “I know a lot of times she would say, ‘The day I go, I don't want to be cremated.’”
The funeral home released a statement after court documents were filed, apologising for their mistake, “Grace Funeral Home deeply regrets the mistake in cremating Ms. Salazar's body. After it discovered what had happened, Grace Funeral Home promptly investigated, notified the family and apologized.”
