St. Stephen’s Cemetery Class Action Settlement

• Individuals who purchased a burial plot or burial services from St. Stephen’s Cemetery between Jan. 1, 1992, and Feb. 24, 2017.
  
  
• Next of kin or surviving spouses of individuals who purchased burial plots or services from St. Stephen’s Cemetery during this time.

Eligible documents may include:

• Burial plot deed
• Funeral home receipt
• Other cemetery-related records

St. Stephen’s Cemetery has agreed to a settlement resolving allegations of burial errors that left families without certainty over the final resting place of their loved ones.

The class action lawsuit accuses the cemetery of gross negligence in maintaining burial records, alleging that:

• Some bodies were buried in the wrong plots, creating distress for grieving families.
• Records were lost or mismanaged, leading to confusion over plot ownership and burial locations.
• The cemetery’s actions violated Kentucky cemetery laws, which require proper record-keeping and dignified burials.

Families affected by these alleged errors say they purchased burial plots expecting their loved ones to rest in designated locations, only to later discover plots had been resold, records were missing, or burials had been misplaced.

St. Stephen’s Cemetery is a Catholic cemetery in Louisville, Kentucky, serving families for generations.

While the cemetery denies any wrongdoing, it has agreed to settle the lawsuit to provide relief to impacted families and avoid further litigation.

Under the Terms of the Settlement

• Cash payments will be provided to class members based on:
  • The number of plots purchased.
  • The number of relatives buried at the cemetery during the class period.
• Exact compensation amounts will vary, depending on the number of valid claims submitted.

The lawsuit brings attention to cemetery accountability and the importance of preserving accurate burial records. This settlement provides financial relief to affected families while reinforcing the expectation that cemeteries must handle burials with care, dignity, and professionalism.