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HOUSTON — A family is suing a Houston funeral home alleging the wrong body was displayed at their loved-ones funeral.
Natividad Cordova, Jr., Susana Hernandez and Maria Vasquez filed a complaint Jan. 25 in Harris County District Court against Santana Funeral Directors Inc., alleging negligence, breach of contract and violation of the Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.
According to the complaint, the plaintiffs are family members of the decedent Natividad Cordova, Sr., and contracted with Santana for funeral services which were held on Aug. 6, 2020. The plaintiffs allege that on the day of the funeral, Santana did not have the audio/visual equipment working and had also not "prepared or delivered" Cordova's body to the viewing room. They further claim that the body finally brought to the viewing was not the decedent but another person the funeral home allegedly dressed in his clothing. The plaintiffs also claim that due to the alleged actions of Santana they lost trust in the funeral home and had to stay at the crematorium "for hours" to watch and make sure the correct body and ashes were being handled.