People have lots of questions about what's going on at Grand View, and class plaintiff attorney Paul Ayers has developed an email alert system to provide answers topic by topic. If you'd like to be added to the distribution list, please send your request to Paul at payers@zinderkoch.com.
You can access an archive of his emails here under the category Paul's Posts. Thanks, Paul, for your continued assistance!
Dec. 1, 2010 Update: For additional information about interments, disinterments and marker placements during the restoration period that will begin after the visitation on Dec. 5, 2010 please read this blog post and contact:
David M. Baum, Attorney for Grand View
(310) 990-3660 or via email at david.baum@dbaumlaw.com
This is # 7 in the series, originally distributed on June 9, 2008:
INTERMENTS, DISINTERMENTS AND MARKER PLACEMENT AT GRAND VIEW
I am often asked if it is possible to inter or disinter remains or place markers at Grand View. The answer is yes. Due, however, to the unique situation the cemetery is in there are steps and costs involved that are not usually present when arranging such procedures at other cemeteries.
When a cemetery is troubled like Grand View, one of the last things anyone involved wants to do, the cemetery, the attorneys, the state or the court, is to make things worse by allowing unsupervised procedures. To prevent problems but to allow the continuation of operations courts will set up rules called “protocols” by which individuals and families can petition the court for permission to conduct a given procedure. The petition submitted will provide the court with basic information regarding the loved one and the survivors, and provide proof that the procedure requested can lawfully be done and carried out in a way that does not further injure the cemetery or other unrelated remains. Based on the petition, the court will issue an order allowing for the procedure to go forward.
In many cases the costs of the added process and the administration of the procedure itself, i.e., having a specialized funeral director present for the procedure, are borne by the insurance company funding the cemetery’s defense. This makes sense in that doing so tends to depress claims made against the cemetery [and ultimately paid by the insurance company]. In the case of Grand View, however, the insurer has chosen not to do so. As a result, the only firm handling these matters is my firm, Zinder & Koch.
Originally, I did not charge for my services, but I soon found I simply could not afford to do the legal work to obtain procedure orders for free. I now charge a flat $1,000.00 to obtain a procedure order affecting a single decedent; if more than one decedent or grave is involved I generally give some sort of discount. My charge is only for obtaining the order; as is detailed below, there is a separate fee for having the procedure done itself. As part of the service I will present, if the family desires, a claim to recover the monies expended and in compensation for the emotional distress of having to go through this process and with regard to what has happened at Grand View in general.
Every procedure order issued with regard to Grand View requires that a funeral director supervise the given procedure. Further, this funeral director must be specifically approved to supervise procedures at Grand View by the State of California . At this time there is only one such funeral director, Reg Duran [telephone number 714-473-3323]; Reg has supervised all of the ~40 interments and disinterments that have taken place at Grand View since February 2007. I have attached a copy of Reg’s December 2007 price list to conduct given procedures to this e-mail.
Generally the time to get an order and accomplish a procedure is about 30 days. Reg and I can speed the process up somewhat if absolutely necessary.
If you have questions, are interested in having a procedure done, you can give me a call or drop me an e-mail. If you have a specific question on how a procedure is accomplished and the costs of the procedures, you should probably call Reg.
Paul R. Ayers , Esq.
Law Offices of
ZINDER & KOCH
A Professional Corporation
550 N. Brand Blvd., Ste. 960
Glendale , CA 91207-1967
(818) 760-0100, ext. 6009
Facsimile (818) 760-0103
e-mail:payers@zinderkoch.com
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