Los Angeles, California
A Los Angeles judge has sanctioned Houston-based Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI), owner of Eden Memorial Park in Mission Hills, after finding that the cemetery intentionally tampered with and destroyed evidence related to a class action lawsuit alleging that Eden mishandled human remains.
Judge Anthony J. Mohr of the Los Angeles Superior Court ordered that the plaintiff’s attorney will be allowed to present evidence to the jury showing that SCI willfully tampered with evidence, and the judge will inform jurors that they may reasonably conclude that the destroyed evidence could have been damaging.
The allegations include that the cemetery broke concrete vaults to squeeze more graves into small spaces, and that when bones fell out of the broken vaults, groundskeepers were instructed to discard of the remains in the cemetery dump and Eden secretly buried bodies in the wrong plots and misplaced or lost remains.
James Patton Funeral Directors 
We have a case pending with Texas Supreme Court. Oral Arguments were heard Dec. 9, 2010 in the removing of our father without the family’s permission. SCI knowingly moved our father and proceeded to hide it for one year after his funeral. After one year, SCI finally admitted that they, in fact, had moved his body. Jury found SCI guilty on 11 counts. SCI appealed. Appeal committee affirmed jury verdict. SCI took case to Texas Supreme Court. Still waiting for a ruling.