Poca
FUNERAL HOME OWNERS ASKED TO PAY $3 MILLION
A life insurance company is asking a federal judge to order the own-
Woods wrote in a filing after the default judgment that he had
ers of a Poca-based funeral home to pay about $3 million for cashing
been participating in settlement negotiations with attorneys for the
in on funeral contracts for people who weren’t actually dead.
insurance company.
Homesteaders Life Insurance Company was granted default judg-
“The court had to resort to one of the most extreme sanctions,
ment in June in its lawsuit against Chad and Billie Harding, who own
which was to strike down his defenses,” Alexander Macia, a Charles-
Gatens-Harding Funeral Home. The lawsuit claims the Hardings sold
ton lawyer that represents the insurance company, previously said.
and cashed in on more than $1 million worth of pre-need funeral
“It’s rarely used but this is a case that warranted it.”
contracts for 111 people who weren’t actually dead.
Woods has refused several times to comment about the case.
About $2.7 million of the amount the insurance company’s attorneys
have asked a judge to approve would be for reimbursement of dam-
In April, Chambers made another ruling by default, finding that the
ages, according to court documents. Nearly $70,000 would go toward
people the Hardings cashed in on funeral contracts for were, in
attorney’s fees and $175,000 of the amount would be for interest.
fact, alive.
U.S. District Court Chief Judge Robert Chambers must approve of the
Pre-need funeral arrangements are sold by funeral homes as part
amount the Hardings are required to pay.
of group life insurance plans, which are designed to fund the funeral services for those enrolled. In the event of the consumer’s death,
The Hardings do not object to the default judgment, their lawyer, Jeff
the insurance company distributes money to the funeral home to
Woods, wrote in a filing last month.
cover the costs of services and arrangements.
In granting the default judgment, Chambers wrote that Woods had
ignored deadlines and had a “complete lack of interest in defending
this suit.” Chambers struck the Hardings response filed last September in which they denied the lawsuit’s accusations.
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