Funeral home’s petition rejected in case of bungled burial

By Cy Ryan

Thursday, Feb. 9, 2012 | 4:49 p.m.

The burial of Baptist Pastor Jack Douglas Sr. was expected to be a solemn event and a chance for friends and relatives to say goodbye, but it turned into a disaster, according to his family.

Eighteen members of Douglas’ family have filed suit against Valley Funeral Home, accusing it of failing to properly secure the casket, allowing it to plunge into the open gravesite with Douglas' head falling through the open lid.

The casket was placed on a lowering device, but the suit claims a strap broke and the casket and the body fell into the grave.

Valley had asked the Nevada Supreme Court to dismiss the suit on grounds it had been filed beyond the statute of limitation. The Las Vegas funeral home says it was “clear error” that the suit was not filed within the two-year statute of limitation.

It asks that the decision of District Judge Susan Scann be overturned and the case be tossed.

But the Supreme Court has rejected the petition, saying the Douglas suit had been electronically filed within the time limit.

The court said the suit was filed electronically in District Court but was rejected by a technical error. It had been filed within the deadline. It said that date of Oct. 28, 2010, should be considered the correct time, within the two-year time limit.

The suit says the widow, Dorothy, fainted when she saw the casket fall and the head of her dead husband lying between the casket lid and the concrete bottom of the grave.

The suit says those at the burial grounds have suffered emotional distress, nightmares, depression and anxiety from witnessing the mishap. They are asking for at least $50,000.