Colorado Funeral Home Owners Ordered to Pay Nearly $1 Billion for Mishandling 190 Bodies
The owners of a Colorado funeral home accused of failing to cremate or bury human remains after being paid to do so have been ordered to pay a judgment that could exceed $1 billion.
Judge Lynette Wenner of the Fremont County District Court issued a judgment of over $956 million against Carie Hallford and Jon Hallford, the proprietors of the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose, Colorado. The couple is accused of mishandling 190 sets of human remains, according to court documents.
The Hallfords did not respond to the lawsuit, leading to a default judgment, court documents indicate.
Attorney Andrew Swan, who represented the class of families affected, stated in a letter to the victims’ families that the total judgment, with interest, could surpass $1 billion.
Each family member involved in the class action was awarded more than $7 million. Swan noted that he believes this judgment to be the largest monetary award in Colorado’s history. However, it is unlikely that the Hallfords will be able to pay the full amount.
In addition to the class action lawsuit, the Hallfords face federal and state charges. The investigation began in 2023 after reports of a foul odor emanating from the funeral home, which offered “green burials.” Authorities discovered improperly stored human remains on the premises.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigations arrested the Hallfords last year on charges including 190 counts of abuse of a corpse, as well as theft, money laundering, and forgery, according to state charging documents.
Earlier this year, a federal grand jury indicted the pair on charges including 13 counts of wire fraud and two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, as reported by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado. The indictment alleges that the Hallfords defrauded their customers by failing to provide the cremation or burial services promised and misused $882,300 in pandemic relief loans. They have pleaded not guilty.
An attorney for Carie Hallford declined to comment on the class action judgment, while Jon Hallford’s attorney has not responded to requests for comment.
Prosecutors stated that the Hallfords concealed their mishandling of bodies by preventing outsiders from entering their building, covering windows and doors to obscure views inside, and making false statements about the foul odor and activities within the building.
In her judgment, Judge Wenner remarked, “The Court specifically finds that Defendants acted in a willful and wanton manner,” thereby entitling the suing families to exemplary damages up to the statutory cap.
Swan, whose firm handled the case pro bono, expressed that there is “some sense of righteous justice in this judgment.” He hopes that the court’s record-setting judgment validates the families’ suffering, acknowledges the pain endured, and serves as a deterrent against similar misconduct in the future.
