A man holding the handle on a casket.

Have You Experienced Funeral Home Abuse After Losing a Loved One?

If you’ve experienced funeral home neglect or abuse after the loss of a loved one, let Stewart Bell, PLLC, fight for the justice you deserve.

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Your Charleston, WV, Funeral Home Abuse Lawyers

After you lose a loved one, one of the best ways to honor their memory is to be sure they have a respectful burial or cremation. That’s why one of the first calls after a loved one’s passing is often to a funeral home to make these arrangements. When you rely on a funeral home, you’re placing a great amount of trust in them to operate with respect and integrity.

Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Some funeral homes, crematories, and cemeteries have been found to ignore and even abuse this level of trust by acting in ways that disrespect the deceased and can lead to greater loss of time, money, and peace of mind.

If you’ve experienced abuse at the hands of a funeral home after losing a loved one, please know that you’re not alone. With the right attorney, you can hold these facilities responsible and seek the justice you deserve. Keep reading to learn how our team of Charleston, WV, funeral home abuse lawyers at Stewart Bell, PLLC, could help.

Help Is a Phone Call Away

We know this is a tough and painful situation, so we’ve made this part easy for you. Just give us a call, and we will handle everything from there.

You Deserve Justice

Even after death, your loved one has rights under the law and abusive funeral homes need to be held accountable. Let our attorneys help you in this fight.

You Don't Pay Unless We Win

We work on a contingency-fee basis. This means we don’t collect a fee if we don’t win the case. There’s nothing to lose and everything to gain.

 

We Understand The Pain You’re Going Through

When you’ve lost a loved one and the funeral home you’ve entrusted them with abuses that trust, it’s understandable to feel angry and betrayed. We understand your pain, and we want to help you and your family navigate this difficult time. At Stewart Bell, PLLC, we believe any funeral home facility that abuses its power and neglects its responsibilities should be held accountable for the suffering it’s caused. You and your family deserve justice, and our team of Charleston, WV, funeral home abuse lawyers can help.

Although most funeral homes carry out their duties without any issues, it is completely unacceptable when they fail to do so. When someone you should be able to trust has failed to provide the necessary care for the loved one you’ve lost, you need an ally on your side. You need someone with experience and compassion who will fight for justice and help you seek compensation for the harm that’s been done. We’ve helped many people in your situation, and we’re ready to help you, too.

Do I Have a Case?

While the specific circumstances of abuse may vary, funeral home abuse involves some form of neglect by the funeral home you’ve entrusted to carry out their duty after the passing of a loved one.

Typically, funeral home abuse falls into one of the following categories:

  • Incompetence
  • Greed, Corruption, or Deception

  • Mishandling or Abuse

Some common examples of funeral home abuse are:

  • Improper or inadequate embalming
  • Improper or inadequate storage of the body
  • Commingling ashes
  • Mishandling, dropping, or losing the body or ashes
  • Placing multiple bodies in one casket
  • Placing the wrong body in the casket
  • Delivering the deceased to the wrong grave site
  • Stealing from the deceased
  • Maiming or sexually abusing the corpse

If you believe your loved one was abused by the funeral home in a way not listed here, you should contact our team at Stewart Bell, PLLC, as you may still have a case.

The statute of limitations is the time frame for filing a lawsuit. In West Virginia, the statute of limitations for funeral home abuse is two years after the date the abuse occurred or was discovered. If you miss the deadline, you may lose your right to file a lawsuit or seek compensation. It’s best to consult an attorney like the experienced Charleston, WV, nursing home abuse lawyers at Stewart Bell, PLLC, if you’re concerned about the statute of limitations. Our attorneys will keep track of all the deadlines and ensure your case stays on track.

Did You Experience Funeral Home Abuse After Losing a Loved One?

Call our Charleston, WV, funeral home abuse lawyers to find out how we can help. Don’t wait to fight for the rights of your loved one!

Let’s Seek Justice Together.

Call Us Get Your Free Case Review

Proving Funeral Home Abuse

If your loved one was abused or exploited by a funeral home, that funeral home should be held legally responsible. You might be wondering how to prove they were negligent in their duties. “Negligence” is the legal term for liability or responsibility in an accident. To prove liability, typically you will have to meet the following criteria:

  • The funeral home owed you a “duty of care.” This means they were responsible for treating the deceased in an honest and respectful manner.
  • The funeral home did not carry out their duty. The funeral home breached their legal obligation and responsibility to carry out their duty of care to avoid harming your loved one.
  • Their actions directly resulted in harm. The funeral home was responsible for the abuse, making them legally liable.
  • There were losses suffered as a result of abuse. The funeral home’s actions physically injured the deceased, or it emotionally or financially impacted you and your family.

In order to seek the justice you and your family deserve, it is important to be sure you can prove that the funeral home was negligent and that the abuse you suffered was a direct result of their actions. That’s where we come in. Your Charleston, WV, funeral home abuse lawyer at Stewart Bell, PLLC, will work tirelessly on your case to ensure the funeral home is held accountable for their actions against you.

How Can a Lawyer Help?

Losing a loved one is painful enough on its own, and when that loved one is disrespected and abused by the funeral home you placed your trust in, it can be hard to know how to move forward. While you’re facing grief, anger, and frustration, you don’t need the added stress of navigating a legal battle with the funeral home all on your own.

When you’re put in this difficult situation, working with an experienced attorney can help you fight for your loved one’s rights, seek justice, and pursue compensation you deserve for the pain you’ve endured. A funeral home abuse attorney knows the law and fully understands how to approach your case with compassion and determination to hold the funeral home accountable.

What Compensation Are You Entitled to Receive?

If you’ve experienced the neglect or abuse of a loved one by a funeral home, you may be eligible to recover compensation for:

  • Emotional distress
  • Funeral expenses
  • Other damages

Compensation in these cases can vary greatly. For example, if you paid for an expensive casket and the funeral home buried your loved one in a cheaper casket, you may be owed the difference in price between the two, plus damages for emotional distress. Or, if the funeral home stole from your loved one, you may be owed the value of what they took, as well as damages for emotional distress.

To get a better understanding of the compensation you’re owed, contact Stewart Bell, PLLC. We’ll perform a free case review that can provide better insight into your case and the best path forward.

Have You Suffered Funeral Home Abuse or Neglect?

Stewart Bell, PLLC is ready to listen to you and help you in this fight. Let’s seek justice together.

Call Us Get Your Free Case Review

What Happens Next?

Give us a call or fill out our online form to help us understand the details of the funeral home abuse you’ve experienced. If you have a case, our dedicated team will get started on it right away.

Next, your attorney will compile evidence and documentation to build a strong case on your behalf.

In the negotiation stage, your attorney will field calls from the defense attorney and work to negotiate a fair settlement offer.

Most funeral home abuse cases are settled out of court. But, if we need to go to court to seek the compensation your family deserves, your attorney will advocate for you and handle everything on your behalf.

If you receive a settlement offer, your attorney will discuss your options with you to determine the best next step. If you choose to accept the offer, we’ll get you a check as soon as possible.

Where Can You Find Help for Funeral Home Abuse?

The attorneys at Stewart Bell, PLLC are here to help. Let’s seek justice together.

Call Us Get Your Free Case Review

Funeral Home Abuse FAQs

Funeral home abuse consists of a negligent action performed by a funeral home that results in a loss for the deceased or their family. This may be physically damaging the body of the deceased or emotionally or financially damaging their loved ones. If you’ve suffered a loss that was the direct result of an action by the funeral home, contact our attorneys today to seek the justice you deserve.

If you have suffered abuse, neglect, or exploitation due to the careless actions of a funeral home, you may be able to take legal action. Our funeral home abuse lawyers have years of experience helping families in Charleston, Huntington, and surrounding West Virginia communities take action against these facilities in order to recover damages associated with the abuse.

If you’re in this situation and aren’t sure about your legal options, please don’t hesitate to give our office a call. We can review your case, help you determine the best course of action, and do everything in our power to demand justice for the wrongdoing committed against you and your loved one.

At Stewart Bell, PLLC, we work on a contingency-fee basis. This means we don’t get paid unless we win your case. This way, you never have to worry about upfront costs or expensive hourly legal fees. We want you to focus on moving forward from this loss while we take care of your case!

A funeral home abuse attorney comes with years of expertise that can help you navigate your case. Feel free to ask your attorney:

  • Do I have a strong case?
  • How long will the legal process for my case take?
  • What will the legal process look like?

Your appointed expert can answer all of these questions and more.

Navigating an abuse claim can be painful and complicated. A Charleston, WV, funeral home abuse lawyer has the skills and resources necessary to ease your burden. Facing stumbling blocks on your own is a waste of your time and money. Working with an attorney will make the process speedier and seamless.

We’ll take the time to get to know you and your case. We understand that facing funeral home abuse is an incredibly unpleasant experience, and we’re ready to meet you with compassion and the tools you need to get justice.

You have two years from the incident or from the discovery of the incident to file your claim in West Virginia. If your report is delayed too long, the statute of limitations can come into play and your case may be dismissed.

It is always a best practice to pursue legal action as soon as you become aware of abuse. This will reduce the risk of losing track of witnesses or key accounts. It will also be your quickest path to the justice you deserve.

Request a Free Consultation

For more than 30 years, the lawyers of Stewart Bell, PLLC have helped the people and businesses of West Virginia protect their interests and rights. We understand the issues that injured people and their families face after an accident and work quickly to obtain the MAXIMUM amount of compensation for every case we handle.

We have recovered MILLIONS of dollars for clients injured because of nursing home abuse, motor vehicle accidents or medical malpractice.

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