Southeast : Cemetery Owners Sued Over Illegal Burials

Families who buried their dead at a Santa Fe Springs cemetery have sued the owners over illegal disinterments and multiple burials that allegedly took place.

The Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit includes about 100 plaintiffs, all relatives of people buried at Paradise Memorial Park, but that figure is expected to grow, lawyer Mike Arias said Tuesday.

“When all is done and said it will probably be over 1,000 [plaintiffs],” Arias said.

A second class-action lawsuit, prepared by another lawyer, is expected to be filed today against the owners of the family-owned cemetery, which was seized by state officials June 16 after investigators found evidence of illegal burial practices.

In some cases, records indicate, single graves were used several times, with bodies sometimes dug up and dumped in a pile in the back of the cemetery to make way for new burials.

The cemetery is owned by Alma Fraction and her two adult children, Victor Fortner and Felicia Fraction.

Alma and Felicia Fraction have said they had no involvement in the burial practices, maintaining that the administration of the cemetery was the responsibility of Fortner, who could not be reached for comment. . . .