WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (Legal Newsline) - A Florida lawsuit alleges the City of Boca Raton took the remains of a woman's mother and placed them in the burial plot the daughter had planned for herself.
In an April 25 lawsuit filed in Palm Beach County Circuit Court, Lyudmila Piker alleges that the city's municipal corporation mishandled her mother's burial arrangements, causing her significant emotional distress that required medical treatment.
According to the complaint, Piker's mother, Zhanna Parnas, passed away on June 20, 2023. Prior to her death, Parnas had purchased a burial plot through the City of Boca Raton next to a beloved relative.
However, during the interment process on June 24, 2023, city employees mistakenly placed Parnas' remains into a different plot intended for Piker.
The plaintiff claims that she was traumatized by this mistake and further distressed when she discovered that the city had placed a placard with her name (not her deceased mother's) at the gravesite.
The City of Boca Raton allegedly attempted to remedy their error by refunding Piker $1,800.
Piker is now seeking damages for breach of contract and emotional distress caused by these events. Her lawyer is David Hollander of Boca Raton.