Sauder Schelkopf and Bochetto & Lentz, together with Poulin | Willey | Anastopoulo, LLC, North Carolina counsel, filed a class action lawsuit involving Pine Forest Memorial Gardens, which is operated by Everstory Partners.
Everstory Partners operates more than 450 cemetery and funeral locations across the United States and Puerto Rico, including approximately 58 locations in North Carolina.
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We represent a family who purchased specific grave spaces in 2021 so they could eventually be buried alongside their child. According to documents in our possession, those spaces were identified by cemetery personnel, paid for in full, and confirmed through issued burial rights certificates.
In 2025, the family discovered that an unrelated individual had been buried in one of those spaces.
We are further investigating issues relating to burial rights, cemetery recordkeeping, and related matters.
We are seeking to speak with other families who may have experienced similar concerns at Pine Forest Memorial Gardens in Wake Forest.
North Carolina Counsel for this Matter:
Ryan Valente
Poulin | Willey | Anastopoulo, LLC
Co-Counsel:
Sauder Schelkopf LLC
Bochetto & Lentz, P.C.
Sauder Schelkopf LLC and Bochetto & Lentz, P.C. are not licensed in North Carolina. Any representation of North Carolina residents would be undertaken in association with licensed North Carolina counsel.
Sauder Schelkopf’s Experience in Funeral Home and Cemetery Abuse Litigation
Sauder Schelkopf is a nationally recognized law firm with extensive experience representing families impacted by funeral home and cemetery abuses. The firm has successfully advocated for justice in several high-profile cases, holding institutions accountable for egregious violations of trust and decency.
1. Return to Nature Funeral Home Case
In 2023, Sauder Schelkopf represented victims in a scandal involving Return to Nature Funeral Home in Colorado, where more than 190 improperly stored human remains were discovered. Families were misled into believing their loved ones had been cremated, while the remains were left to decompose.
2. Harvard Medical School Body Parts Scandal
The firm represents families against Harvard Medical School in a body parts trafficking case, which recently settled for $53 million. This appalling situation revealed that human remains donated to the school for scientific research were sold illegally.
3. Evergreen Cemetery
In a notable case involving Evergreen Cemetery, Sauder Schelkopf fought for the families of individuals whose graves were desecrated. Cemetery operators were accused of selling plots multiple times and mishandling remains, causing significant emotional distress to families.
Experience Matters
Sauder Schelkopf has a nationally recognized litigation practice. The firm currently serves as court-appointed lead counsel in courts across the country. The attorneys at Sauder Schelkopf have recovered over $500 million on behalf of their clients and class members. Our firm was recognized by the Legal Intelligencer’s 2022 Professional Excellence Awards. The Legal Intelligencer’s Professional Excellence Awards honor Pennsylvania law firms and attorneys who have significantly impacted the legal profession. Our firm was named in the Litigation Departments of the Year (Specialty Area category; runner-up), an award that honors the best litigation practice in a small or mid-sized firm in Pennsylvania. This recognition was based on the firm’s 2021 litigation work and its important ongoing cases. LawDragon has recognized our attorneys in its list of the “500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers” for 2022. This list notes: “From the opioid epidemic to toxic substances and defective products, truck accidents to wildfires and sexual abuse, these are the lawyers who stand on the front line in individual lawsuits and class actions seeking justice.” Mr. Schelkopf was named to Pennsylvania’s Best Lawyers® 2022 for Class Actions/Mass Tort Litigation. The American Lawyer named Mr. Sauder to its 2021 Northeast Trailblazers. The honor recognizes 60 lawyers who are “truly agents of change.” It “recognizes professionals in the Northeast who have moved the needle in the legal industry.” The Legal Intelligencer named Mr. Sauder and Mr. Schelkopf in its 2020 Pennsylvania Trailblazers list recognizing 31 lawyers who “have taken extra measures to contribute to positive outcomes . . . and who are truly agents of change.” The Legal highlighted the firm’s innovative work on advocacy as class counsel in large institutional sex abuse cover-ups, women’s, and children’s rights. Our attorneys have also consistently been recognized by their peers being named to Pennsylvania SuperLawyer, a distinction held by the top 5% of attorneys in Pennsylvania. The National Trial Lawyers Association has also selected our attorneys as the Top 100 Trial Lawyers in Pennsylvania.
We Want to Hear from You
If you believe your family may have been affected, we encourage you to contact us to discuss your situation. You can fill out the form on this page.