Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Families whose loved ones were left rotting in funeral home owed $950 million, judge rules

A judge ruled that the Colorado funeral home who allegedly stored 190 decaying bodies and sent must pay $950 million to the victims’ families in a ruling announced Monday

Jesse Bedayn
Monday 05 August 2024 18:58 EDT
Funeral Home Decomposing Bodies
Funeral Home Decomposing Bodies

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The Colorado funeral home owners who allegedly stored 190 decaying bodies and sent grieving families fake ashes were ordered by a judge to pay $950 million to the victims' relatives in a civil case, the attorney announced Monday.

The judgement is unlikely to be paid out since the owners have been in financial trouble for years, making it largely symbolic. The owners, Jon and Carie Hallford, did not acknowledge the civil case or show up to hearings, said the attorney representing families, Andrew Swan.

The Hallfords, who own Return to Nature Funeral Home in Colorado Springs, about an hour south of Denver, face criminal charges in separate cases.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in