Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley’s office is suing the South Hadley funeral home that state officials shut down over the conditions of some bodies there.
This action mostly involves the loss of funeral deposits. The AG’s complaint alleges Ryder Funeral Home cannot account for more than $340,000 in what’re called “pre-need” funeral contracts — deposits or insurance an individual or family takes care of in advance of a death.
The suit says 60 families appear to be affected, as funeral director William Ryder and his company “misappropriated and dissipated these funds.”
This is only the latest legal issue for the Ryder family, which operated the funeral home until the state shut it down in late May. That’s when an inspector says he found seven improperly stored bodies in various stages of decay.
The attorney general’s office wants the superior court to stop the Ryders from depleting their assets, and ultimately wants restitution for affected families.
A lawyer for William Ryder did not return a call for comment. In the past, he told reporters his client had serious medical issues that led to the funeral home’s problems.