Potential class-action lawsuit filed against South Deering funeral home for mishandling 56 bodies

A Texas woman launched a potential class-action lawsuit Tuesday against the South Deering funeral home, alleging it mishandled the remains of her father, Terrance Fallie, along with dozens of other bodies. The suit, filed by Fallie's daughter, Dyanna Burt-Finnie, in Cook County Circuit Court, states that South Chicago Chapel took possession of Fallie's body on Aug. 4, four days after the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation received information about operational concerns at the facility run by Clark and Johanna Morgan. Johanna Morgan's state funeral director license was suspended on Aug. 5 for allowing decedents to be kept in an unrefrigerated area with deplorable conditions. Representatives for Burt-Finnie arrived at the chapel on Aug. 6 to transfer Fallie's body, arriving as authorities were removing 56 neglected bodies. The suit notes neighbors had smelled an odor from the funeral home for approximately two months prior to the discovery. Clark Morgan lost his funeral director's license for unprofessional conduct in 2024. The Cook County medical examiner's office is working to identify all the deceased and cremated remains. The six-count suit alleges the funeral home failed to affix identifying information, interfered with families' rights, inflicted emotional distress, violated state law, committed fraud, and misrepresented their business. An initial hearing is scheduled for Oct. 13.

(Source：Chicago Sun-Times)