Costa Mesa : Judge Denies Payment in Cremation Cases

A judge declined Tuesday to approve payment of $3.5 million to several hundred people who have accused a Costa Mesa crematory of desecrating the remains of relatives and instead ordered more talks in the complex case.

The money was planned as the first installment of $14 million in payments on behalf of Harbor Lawn Memorial Park Inc. to settle a tangle of lawsuits alleging illegal mass cremations and loss of ashes.

Orange County Superior Court Judge John L. Flynn Jr. declined to approve the payment, which represented a partial settlement of the cases and was opposed by several other defendants.

Several attorney active in the deal warned Flynn that delays could mean that the settlement will collapse. But Flynn ordered more work on the settlement and told the attorneys to return to his court next month to report on progress.