A devastated California family has filed a lawsuit against a Hollywood cemetery after learning their mother had not been buried where her headstone was – and that they had been mourning the incorrect plot for four years.
The Demirchyan family made the horrifying discovery in April when burying their father, Avetis, who was supposed to be laid to rest beside his wife at Forest Lawn Cemetery.
However, during the service, a mortician pulled aside their son, Chris, to tell him the headstone for his mother, Hasmik, did not match her actual burial site, KTLA reported.
While her headstone was in “space 1,” she was buried in “space 2,” just one plot to the right, according to the report.
“I feel betrayed because we have been speaking to an empty plot,” Chris Demirchyan said. “All those times we put down flowers, we prayed, we came for holidays, we even put up a decorated Christmas tree – it was the wrong space.”
Even though the cemetery has since corrected its mistake and moved her headstone to the correct location, the Demirchyan family is filing a lawsuit over the emotional distress caused by grieving in the wrong location for years.
“While we appreciate Forest Lawn for taking appropriate action to correct their error right after they discovered it, it still is inexcusable because this would not have come to light if my client hadn’t suffered another loss,” said Rosie Zilifyan, the family’s attorney.
The family is seeking an undisclosed amount in damages, but said their main motivation for filing the lawsuit was to prevent similar mistakes from happening to other families.
“They think saying sorry and moving it makes up for what was four years of mourning that we did, and we’re still grieving,” said George Eskichyan, Hasmik’s grandson. “This adds an extra layer of hurt and pain.”
The cemetery has 30 days to respond to the lawsuit, according to KTLA.