CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Putnam County funeral home reached a settlement with West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey Wednesday that will prevent the business from selling pre-need funeral contracts.
Gatens-Harding Funeral Home in Poca and its owners allegedly cashed on contracts before the deaths of customers. A lawsuit was filed against the funeral home in September 2015.
The settlement prohibits the business from selling pre-need funeral contracts or accepting payments for funeral services prior to the death of person who signed the contract.
The settlement also affects any related business owned or operated by funeral home owners Chad or Billie Harding.
“Pre-need funeral contracts are attractive to many consumers,” Morrisey said in a statement. “Funeral homes offering that service must protect consumers and do so in a lawful manner.”
The funeral home is required to conduct an audit of existing pre-need contracts. The Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division will contact consumers and give them the option of transferring their contracts to a different business.
The office will also increase monitoring for any remaining pre-need contracts, which will involve additional audits six and 12 months after the first one is conducted.
Gatens-Harding Funeral Home and its owners are required to pay $25,000 to cover the state’s investigation.