Sauder Schelkopf and Bochetto and Lentz are investigating a class action lawsuit on behalf of individuals whose loved ones’ remains were reportedly mishandled.

March 10, 2023: KRON4 reported in part:

Six bodies and 154 cremated remains were found in a Hayward warehouse on March 1. The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) said that the remains are linked to Oceanview Cremations, which was a crematorium that had its business license suspended.

Oceanview Cremations’ license was suspended in March 2018, and it was prohibited from storing remains on its premises. The California Cemetary and Funeral Board informed the Alameda County Coroner’s Bureau on Feb. 28 that the business was continuing its operations.

A day later, the bureau went to the warehouse and recovered the remains. Five of the bodies were identified. One was not identified because the owner of Oceanview Cremations, Robert Smith, did not produce “viable information” about the location of death or next of kin, per ACSO.

Our firms have litigated or are currently litigating cases against cemeteries in New Jersey and Michigan.

Related News

6 bodies and 154 cremated remains recovered from California warehouse

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.

Bochetto and Lentz has developed a niche in what has surprisingly become a burgeoning area of law. After representing a few clients, we learned that, despite conventional thinking, cemeteries, funeral homes, and crematoriums are often not locally owned or non-profit based religious organizations. Instead, they are for-profit enterprises often owned by large real estate trusts or publicly owned national — and even international — companies.

We Want to Hear from You 

If your loved one’s remains were mishandled by Oceanview Cremations, contact the lawyers at Sauder Schelkopf by filling out the form on this page or calling 888.711.9975