Man Sues L.A. Cemetery for Placing Mother's Headstone Over the Wrong Grave — for More Than 3 Years: 'How Could This Happen?'

Yahoo

08-06-2025

A man is suing the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles because he claims a headstone for his late mother had been placed over the wrong grave for multiple years
The family only learned of the alleged mix-up when they buried their father earlier this year, a lawsuit states
"We were just talking to an empty spot," the man's sister saidA man is suing a cemetery in Los Angeles because he claims a headstone for his late mother had been placed over the wrong grave — for more than three years.
Chris Demirchyan has sued Forest Lawn Mortuary and the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Association for fraud, breach of contract, negligence and negligent infliction of emotional distress and is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, according to a lawsuit obtained by PEOPLE.
Back in 2008, Chris' parents purchased two burial plots at the cemetery. In 2012, he allegedly requested they "release their two plots to allow for the family to have a total of six burial plots in the same area," and he went on to secure "four additional burial plots," the legal document claims.
When Chris' mother died in July 2021, she was buried in one of the purchased plots a month later. Then, in September, the complaint claims Chris "entered into a contract" to get a headstone, but the legal document alleges that one "bearing [his] mother's name was ultimately placed on the wrong burial site."
Per the lawsuit, Chris and his family "were unaware of this misplacement and continued visiting the incorrect site."
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When Chris' dad died earlier this year in April, the complaint claims the man and his family made arrangements for their late father to be buried in the adjacent plot next to where they believed their mother to be.
However, during the service for his father, the legal document claims that Chris was informed "that while [his] mother was correctly buried in her designated plot, the headstone bearing her name had been placed on a different gravesite."
Chris, the complaint claims, "was shocked, devastated and overwhelmed upon learning that the family had been grieving and visiting the wrong site for [his] mother for approximately 4 years."
Per the legal document, Forest Lawn Memorial Park "promised that the issue would be corrected," and the cemetery subsequently "removed the incorrectly placed headstone and placed it on the correct site."
The ordeal caused Chris "significant emotional distress, including shock, grief and ongoing mental anguish from having grieved and visited the wrong site for [his] mother," according to the complaint. It added that he also "suffered economic losses, emotional distress and other damages as a direct result" of the alleged mix-up.
The legal document further accuses the Forest Lawn Memorial Park of being "reckless, negligent and in breach of its contractual obligations to [Chris], including its duty to properly place and maintain the headstone."
Speaking with NBC Los Angeles, Chris' sister, Marine Demirchyan, said the ordeal has left her deeply upset.
'When she passed, I thought, 'At least, we have given her a peaceful, respectful place to rest.' But seeing her memorial tablet placed on the wrong grave, it felt like losing her all over again,' she told the outlet. "We were just talking to an empty spot.'
'She was caring. She was loving," Chris added of his mother, also asking NBC Los Angeles: "How could this happen?"
In a statement shared with PEOPLE, Chris' attorney, Rosie Zilifyan, said: "Forest Lawn's failure to fulfill its most basic responsibilities—ensuring that a loved one's grave is properly marked — was not just negligent; it was callous. Our lawsuit seeks to hold Forest Lawn fully accountable for its reckless mishandling and to ensure no other family is forced to endure a similar ordeal."
The Forest Lawn Memorial Park Association did not respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
Read the original article on People