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<\/p>\nFuneral Home Sued for Refusing Body of Gay Man: We Don\u2019t \u2018Deal with Their Kind\u2019 \u2013 WATCH<\/b><\/p>\n
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Lambda Legal has joined a lawsuit against a Picayune, Mississippi funeral home which refused to handle funeral arrangements for Robert \u00a0(Bob) Huskey after it learned that Huskey was gay<\/a>, leaving Huskey\u2019s husband, 82-year-old Jack Zawadski (above) to have to scramble to make other arrangements shortly after Huskey\u2019s death.<\/p>\n Bob and Jack were a couple<\/a> of 52 years who married shortly after the Supreme Court legalized same-sex<\/a> marriage nationwide in 2015. Huskey\u2019s health declined shortly thereafter and he died.<\/p>\n Writes Lambda Legal<\/a>:<\/p>\n After Bob died on May 11, 2016, the nursing home provided Picayune Funeral Home with necessary information confirming Bob\u2019s death and identifying Jack as his husband. Shortly thereafter, the nursing home called their nephew John and informed him that Picayune Funeral Home was now refusing to pick up the body and perform the cremation.<\/p>\n Since the nursing home could not keep Bob\u2019s body on site, Jack and John had to scramble to locate another funeral home with an on-site crematorium. They located one in Hattiesburg, some 90 miles away. By that time, because Bob\u2019s body could not be housed at the nursing home for the hours it would take for the Hattiesburg hearse to arrive, they had to find yet another funeral home in Picayune willing to transport Bob\u2019s body to Hattiesburg.<\/p>\n \u201cJohn made all necessary arrangements before Bob\u2019s passing in order to shield his 82-year-old uncle from additional suffering and to allow friends to gather to support Jack in his grief,\u201d Littrell explained. \u201cInstead, Bob\u2019s peaceful passing was marred by turmoil, distress and indignity, adding immeasurable anguish to Jack and John\u2019s loss. This should not have happened to them, and should not be allowed to happen again.\u201d<\/p>\n Lambda\u2019s complaint<\/a> says that\u00a0Picayune Funeral Home told Zawadski they don\u2019t \u201cdeal with their kind.\u201d<\/p>\n The Clarion Ledger<\/em> reports<\/a>:<\/p>\n The suit identifies Brewer Funeral Services, the parent company of Picayune Funeral Home, and owners Ted and Henrietta Brewer.<\/p>\n When reached Tuesday afternoon, Henrietta Brewer vehemently and tearfully\u00a0denied the allegations.\u00a0Brewer said the funeral home has served numerous gay<\/a> families over the years.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not true,\u201d she said of the allegation. \u201cWe have done many gay<\/a> families.\u201d<\/p>\n Offering an example, Brewer said a man<\/a> in Florida sends flowers every season for the funeral home to place on the grave of his late husband who is buried in Memorial Gardens, a cemetery owned and maintained by the Brewers.<\/p>\n She would not provide the identification of the widower.<\/p>\n Brewer said she doesn\u2019t know where the allegation stems from, saying, \u201cWe did not refuse this man<\/a> because he was gay<\/a>. We didn\u2019t refuse him at all.\u201d<\/p>\n She said there was no contract between the funeral home and Huskey\u2019s family.<\/p>\n Lambda Legal attorney Beth Littrell says the funeral services company is lying:<\/p>\n \u201cI am confident that we will be able to prove through witness, phone records and other means that what we claim in the lawsuit is in fact what happened,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Watch Jack\u2019s story:<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The post Funeral Home Sued for Refusing Body of Gay Man: We Don\u2019t \u2018Deal with Their Kind\u2019 \u2013 WATCH<\/a> appeared first on Towleroad<\/a>.<\/p>\n