Did a D.C. funeral home charge families for services it never provided? That’s what one lawsuit against the “Austin Royster Funeral Home on Kennedy Street in D.C.’s Brightwood Park neighborhood” is claiming. According to the lawsuit, which was filed by D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine, the funeral home “operated without proper licenses and charged families for services it did not provide.” In addition, a motion was filed by the Office of the Attorney General “for a temporary restraining order against Austin Royster Funeral Home and Jamelle Royster and James Agee, who were involved in owning and operating the funeral home.”
Did a D.C. funeral home charge families for services it never provided? That’s what one lawsuit against the “Austin Royster Funeral Home on Kennedy Street in D.C.’s Brightwood Park neighborhood” is claiming. According to the lawsuit, which was filed by D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine, the funeral home “operated without proper licenses and charged families for services it did not provide.” In addition, a motion was filed by the Office of the Attorney General “for a temporary restraining order against Austin Royster Funeral Home and Jamelle Royster and James Agee, who were involved in owning and operating the funeral home.”
But what are the specific details surrounding Racine’s claims? Well, in addition to operating “without proper licenses,” the funeral home also “prevented grieving families from receiving death certificates, which enable families to handle affairs on behalf of the deceased.” On top of that, Racine alleges that “Austin Royster did not provide funeral services as promised and misappropriated funds from patrons.” In a statement regarding the matter, he said:
“Grieving families shouldn’t have to worry about whether they are being taken advantage of while mourning the loss of their loved ones. We are deeply concerned that Austin Royster may have engaged in multiple unlawful practices while providing funeral services. Our office is working hard to help relatives and friends of the deceased individuals conclude their affairs and get restitution.”
Some have stepped forward, claiming Racine’s allegations are true. For example, Changus Hayes joined in on the lawsuit, alleging that the “funeral home’s chief operating officer, Jamelle Royster, advised him to sign over his father’s $53,000 life insurance policy in order to pay for a funeral that cost $5,767.” According to Hayes, “Royster assured him she would pay out the remaining balance of $47,243.” Unfortunately for Hayes, he only ever received a bounced check after months of text messages and unanswered phone calls.
Another woman, Quantella Gregory, alleges that she “requested that her deceased grandmother be properly cleansed and prepared by Muslim women, as dictated by Muslim tradition.” Despite this request, Royster “embalmed her grandmother without permission,” according to Gregory. Later, Gregory discovered her “grandmother’s death certificate was not available a month later,” and all Royster had to say on the matter was “not to worry because her grandmother was still in the freezer.”
Fortunately, since news of the lawsuit broke out, all the “remains of deceased individuals have been removed from the Austin Royster Funeral Home and are now in the possession of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner,” according to the Office of the Attorney General. In a recent news release directed towards consumers who might have “been harmed by Austin Royster’s actions,” the Attorney General’s office said:
“If you are a District resident and think you may have been the victim in this case or from any type of fraud or scam, you can file a consumer complaint by calling OAG’s Consumer Protection Hotline at (202) 442-9828 or send an email to consumer.protection@dc.gov…To learn more about how to protect yourself from businesses that take advantage of consumers, visit OAG’s Consumer Protection Library at https://oag.dc.gov/consumerprotection.”
Sources:
DC funeral home faces lawsuit after complaints with service, lack of proper licenses
DC Funeral Home Sued by Attorney General; More Than 100 Remains Removed
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