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Welcome
Taphophilia (dot) Com...
A repository of morbid curiosities:
Thanatology and Taphophile Issues, Cemetery,
Funeral Industry and Death Related News.
A Taphophilia Thank You...
Taphophilia (dot) Com would not be possible without the knowledge, experience and talent of DarkestWeb. From its conception and early development, DarkestWeb was faced with many challenges; from inspiring and motivating, to providing guidance and direction. The continued dedication and support has produced results greater than ever expected, and for this, I owe a huge debt of gratitude.
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West Springfield Massachusetts: Stories Carved in Stone by Rusty Clark features information on early New England gravestone carvers with more than two hundred photos and illustrations. Please visit the Dog Pond Press website.
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Lawsuit filed in federal court against New Hampshire crematorium |
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Written by DeadGirl
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Thursday, 02 June 2005 |
By Mark Jewell, Associated Press Writer | June 2, 2005
BOSTON --A woman who alleges her father's remains were mishandled is suing a New Hampshire crematorium and Massachusetts funeral homes in the first federal complaint filed since the crematorium was shut down by authorities in February.
The lawsuit Lorraine Hunt of Quincy filed in U.S. District Court on Thursday is similar to recent complaints in state courts that seek certification as class-action complaints on behalf of customers of funeral homes that contracted with the crematorium.
Hunt's complaint alleges Bayview Crematory "commingled bodies while they were cremated, failed to keep accurate records of the bodies" and either failed to return remains to families or returned them in urns mixed with the ashes from other bodies.
An attorney for the crematorium, Gerard LaFlamme Jr., did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
Hunt alleges the remains of her father, Robert Lowe Cashman, were mishandled in April 2004 after they were entrusted with a Quincy funeral home -- Hamel, Wickens & Troupe -- and taken to the crematorium in Seabrook, N.H.
John Boyle, a lawyer for the Quincy funeral home, said there is no evidence that it or other funeral homes did anything wrong or knew about problems in handling remains at Bayview.
The lawsuit seeks damages for negligence, intentional emotional distress and other alleged breaches of trust.
In addition to Bayview and the Quincy funeral home, defendants named in Hunt's lawsuit include Bayview's owners; seven other Massachusetts funeral homes; and three organizations that set industry standards on handling human remains.
The complaint says the funeral homes "turned a willful blind eye" to the problems at Bayview and were "motivated by greed" to use Bayview's services even though it was known to be "a shoddy operator."
The Bayview Crematory was shut down after authorities executing a warrant for financial records found a decomposing body in a broken refrigeration unit, two bodies in the same oven and ashes without identification. Bayview had never registered with the state, as required by law, and was never inspected by the state.
Most records concerning the crematorium's operations remain in the hands of the Rockingham County Attorney's office and are sealed pending the outcome of an investigation.
The probe led to charges against two assistant medical examiners alleging that they took money from crematoriums without overseeing the process as the law requires.
Last month, investigators said they were examining remains of at least 25 bodies that had been cremated at Bayview and were confiscated when police raided two Massachusetts funeral homes. Authorities said the documentation police found did not clearly identify all the remains.
Attorneys for the Melville, N.Y., law firm that filed Hunt's lawsuit -- Lerach, Coughlin, Stoia, Geller, Rudman & Robbins -- said it was the first case against Bayview filed in federal court.
The complaints filed so far in state courts against Bayview and other defendants include a lawsuit last month in Essex County Superior Court by Paul Anzalone of Mansfield and 35 other Massachusetts plaintiffs.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/06/02/lawsuit_filed_in_federal_court_against_new_hampshire_crematorium_1117743198?mode=PF |
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Taphophilia?
taphophilia (taf′ō-fil′ē-ă)
ORIGIN:
From the Greek words taphos, meaning "tomb" or "sepulcher" and philia, meaning "attraction or affinity to something, in particular the love or obsession with something"
DEFINITION: 1. An excessive interest in graves and cemeteries. 2. A love or fondness for funerals, graves, and cemeteries. 3. In psychiatry, a morbid attraction to graves and cemeteries
Quote Repository
“To die, to sleep;
To sleep: perchance to dream:
Ay, there's the rub;
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come.” William Shakespeare soliloquy from Hamlet Act 3, Scene 1
Shirtless and Sculpted
The Men of Mortuaries 2008 Calendar is now available! All sale proceeds benefit KAMMCARES, a breast cancer foundation.
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