If you have read my posts, you know about my friend that died last month. She left two children, teenage girls. The eldest of the girls was shunned at the funeral by the other family members. It was very sad. She asked me, before we left the cemetery, why they couldn't be nice to her for just this one day. I told her that it would not have meant anything if they had, because they would not have meant it.
Now, I will have to admit that Coral, the oldest, has been a bit of a pain in the ass over the past couple of years. But no more or less than most teens that are rebellious. Her biggest problem was that she was/is very immature for her age. But, that is beside the point.
Coral and her sister were not home when my friend's sister and husband came to clean out her home. The girls are left with one or two knick knacks. This BITCH even took gifts the girls gave and received from their mother. We held back at the cemetery so that Coral could have a moment or two with her Mom.
Just before we left, she said that she felt as though she were deserting her mom and wanted to stay as the casket was lowered and covered. I did not think this was a very good idea so, I went to the side of the grave and picked up two flower arrangements. One was cut and one was plastic. The funeral director told me to take all that I wanted. That is all that I picked up though. Mainly because they were the only ones that held Trish's favorite flowers.
I pulled a few of them out of the arrangement handed them to Coral and put the rest in the trunk. When we got to my home, I showed her how to hang them to dry. I have a lamp made out of a oversized canning jar filled with the petals from my father's funeral. Coral wanted one like it. I told her that we would make one.
A few hours later, I received a telephone call telling me how vulgar and morbid Coral was for having taken flowers from the grave. The aunt had gone back and counted the flowers to see if that was why we held back.
Last Monday, there was a knock on my door. I opened it to find a sheriffs deputy handing me papers for Coral. It was an order to return the flowers to the aunt immediately. I told the officer that the flowers were no longer on the premises and that Coral had not taken them, I had. On Thursday, I was served with papers. I am being sued for defacing a grave site of a family member and theft of grave site decoration.
I could not believe it and did not at first take it seriously. But, after talking to my lawyer, I am told that this woman has a receipt and claims she can prove that I took the flowers she purchased for the grave. I looked at every card on every arrangement of flowers in that funeral home. That woman had not purchased a single arrangement.
Isn't this the dumbest thing you have ever heard? Well, it gets better. It seems that I could actually be sentenced to up to two years in the county jail.
inspiration2jms posted on Jul 18, 2007
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Comments
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jadestar said on Jul 18, 2007....
Are these people for real???!!!!!Who cares if the kid's a pain in the butt, she's in pain now, grieving, she doesn't need to be treated like that by themAnd taking you to court??!!! Boy, I thought I had petty family.I'm really sorry for what you're going through - the loss of your friend & these people's pettyness. It's wonderful that you can be a support to the chidren she's left behind - an area that these people are obviously failing in.Sorry to judge - I don't even know them. But it all sounds horrible.What are you going to do? I hope you're going to be ok. -
silverwhisper said on Jul 18, 2007....
with people that offensively stupid, i honestly think the best response is to hit them so hard they forget to be idiots. to wit: countersue for unreasonable mental anguish to the tune of 5 million dollars. they will shut up and fold tent, esp if their suit is in turn based on lies, as you indicate.
ed -
sweet_cookie01 said on Jul 18, 2007....
i never thought that could happen!....gee!!!! -
uniquely-ironic said on Jul 18, 2007....
Can you counter sue for theft? Is it possible to sue for the belongings that she took from the house? This whole thing is ridiculous, but the court system is set up to entertain even the most feeble cases. If you asked the funeral director about the flowers and he gave you permission you may have a handy "out" for yourself. -
inspiration2jms said on Jul 20, 2007....
Thanks for the support everyone. I talked to the prosecuting attorney this week. He tells me that normally he would not waste the courts time with a case of this nature, however, he has had issues with these people before and he wants them humiliated in court. So, I was going to go along with all this. The funeral director plans to be in court with us. Since there is no way for her to prove that the flowers that were taken were the ones she claims to have purchased, she does not have a leg to stand on.
Actually, after talking with the prosecuting attorney, he looked at the copy of the receipt again and he found that it was for a live plant that was not delivered but carried with the purchaser from the florists. The flowers that I took were cut and fake. Haha, they are now going to prosecute her for felonious something or the other.
I did not really understand what he called it but basically it means that she fabricated a case that had no basis in reality to enact revenge on an innocent party. It would seem that there are also laws against wasting the time of a state official.
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uniquely-ironic said on Jul 23, 2007....
Yeah! I used to be surprised at the mean heartedness of some people, but I'm older now. I'm glad you were able to talk to the prosecutor and figure out just what was going on. Maybe when these people are busy covering their legal asses they will be too busy to make your life miserable. -
skald said on Aug 05, 2007....
I am shocked, i have never heard anything like this. A close friend or relatives have always had the permission to take flowers from the funeral. I don't know any better. These people are going too far, I am sorry about your friend.