Sussex, NJ, funeral home put wrong body in casket, lawsuit says
A Sussex County family is suing a funeral home for placing the wrong body in a casket for viewing.
The family had gathered at the F. John Ramsey Funeral Home in Franklin Borough to pay final respects to 85-year-old Josephine Struble, who died just after Christmas in 2021.
When one of her grandsons approached the casket, the lawsuit says he was "appalled" to see another body laying there. [SEE ALSO: Mother of NJ lawyer buried in wrong cemetery]
Other family members confirmed it was not Josephine Struble who has been prepared for viewing. The body in the casket, however, was wearing the jewelry the family had provided for the funeral.
When Struble's daughter confronted one of the funeral home employees, the suit claims the family was told to leave and come back 30 minutes later.
Upon returning, the family says it was Josephine who has been laid out before them, but the body appeared "disheveled and bruised."
The FUNERAL DEFENDANTS’ intentional acts and/or omissions pertaining to the mishandling of Plaintiffs’ Decedent, and failure to identify and present the correct corpse, constitutes intentional, extreme, reckless, and outrageous behavior, as to go beyond all possible bounds of decency. - Excerpt from Lawsuit filed against F. John Ramsey Funeral Home
Struble's family claims "severe and ongoing emotional distress" in documents filed with the court. They say the trauma of the experience has not allowed them to properly grieve.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for "intentional, extreme, reckless and outrageous behavior" that went "beyond all possible bounds of decency."
So far, no one at the funeral home is commenting.
Eric Scott is the senior political director and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at eric.scott@townsquaremedia.com
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