The funeral, which was intended to be a memorial of love for the father from South Gate, took a horrible turn when family members approached the coffin and found him in a very bad state of decomposition, the relatives cried in court.
The widow and two children of Santos Ramos sued Risher Mortuary & Cremation Service, saying the Montebello-based funeral home denied Ramos’ cremation and deprived the family of a meaningful final farewell. John Mason, an attorney representing the company, said the morgue strongly disputes that it mishandled Ramos’ remains and intends to defend itself vigorously in the lawsuit.
Ramos died in LA County of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease on Jan. 20, 2024, leaving behind his wife, Virginia Ramos, and their two children, Santos Rene Ramos and Elizabeth Ramos, according to the complaint filed March 9 in Los Angeles Superior Court.
The family then paid Risher $4,131 for funeral services and embalming to prepare for the funeral at Casa Funeral Espinoza in Mexico. But, when the family examined the body after it arrived in Mexico on March 24, 2024, they found that it was “in a very bad and terrible condition.”
“The body appeared to be emaciated and was seen to be oozing fluid from the face throughout the viewing and wake,” the complaint said. “The family is shocked and devastated by what they saw.”
A funeral home in Mexico wrote on March 28, 2024, that the embalming process “was carried out in a very poor quality,” noting that the body arrived in a state of decomposition and that fluid was coming out of the face during the wake, according to the complaint.
Because of the alleged substandard embalming, family members say they were forced to see the “ugly and undignified condition of their loved ones’ bodies” and experienced humiliation, grief and shock.
They say Risher breached an agreement with the family by failing to professionally bury Ramos’ remains and treat the body with the dignity and care required by California law.
Specifically, they allege that Risher failed to use appropriate chemicals to preserve the body for international travel, did not provide adequate embalming fluid, did not cover the body properly and administered the procedure to an intern without adequate supervision. They also said that at the time of Ramos’ embalming, Risher did not have a proper embalming facility and did not have a preparation room with the necessary plumbing, ventilation and equipment for proper embalming.
The family is suing the company for breach of contract, negligence, infliction of emotional distress and violation of the California Health and Safety Code. They are seeking general or specific damages in an amount proven in court including the money they paid Risher, additional costs incurred in Mexico to deal with the condition of the remains, loss of a dignified funeral service and distress caused.
