2 families sue Detroit funeral home, allege loved ones' bodies were mixed up

Fieger Law has filed civil litigation in Wayne County Circuit Court on behalf of two families whose loved ones were mixed up amid arrangements at a Detroit funeral home.

One of the women was cremated via Southern Michigan Cremation Society before her family knew what had happened, the families said.

President and CEO of Fieger Law, attorney James Harrington, called the circumstances an "incredibly careless act." 

One of the two women was Kimberlly Kaye Moore, 61, who died on Sept. 3 while under hospice care. The other was Sandra Miller, who died on Sept. 13. Both women had been ill with cancer, their families said. The circumstances of the mix-up came to light on Sept. 19.

"We didn't get a chance to say goodbye," Bianca Robinson, who is Moore's daughter, said on Wednesday amid tears. "This is devastating. I can't sleep. We just want answers."

Hutchison Funeral Home, the funeral establishment under discussion, was established in 1979. The family owned company provides funeral and memorial services, traditional burial, non-traditional burial and cremation options.

"I wanted her to finally be at peace and be treated with the dignity she deserved. I entrusted my mother's body to Hutchison Funeral Home, believing that she would be cared for respectfully," Cecilie Walker said on Wednesday.

Fieger Law is a personal injury firm in Southfield, Michigan. The lawyers held a press conference on Wednesday afternoon to introduce the families, explain what they had learned so far, and say that legal action had started.

"This is absolutely unacceptable," Harrington said. He voiced concerns that other families may have run into similar circumstances.

"What we know is their process was woefully inadequate," Harrington said.

In this case, the Moore family was the first to realize something might have happened. Robinson was viewing a body at the funeral home and realized the person in the casket was not her mother.

Then Walker said her family started asking questions after learning about a possible mix-up involving two women. "Because of the timing, I got concerned it might be my mom," her daughter said.

After Walker contacted the other family, she said, "I was able to see my mom dressed in another mother's clothes, wig, and in a casket."

The lawsuits filed on behalf of the families list both the funeral home and Southern Michigan Cremation.

The vice president of the funeral home, Joseph Hutchison Jr., died on Sept. 24. 

Funeral establishments in Michigan operate under licenses issued by the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs.