Funeral homes in Washington D.C. operate under a number of laws that both prohibit and compel certain actions. These facilities are not allowed to charge more for a death certificate than the standard fee set by the District. They may not tell customers that they are not allowed to cancel pre-planned funeral contracts or purchase caskets from another location. Funeral homes in D.C. are also required to list their prices and refund any unused portion of insurance money. D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine and his office have recently cracked down on facilities in the area. Surprisingly, they have issued warnings to almost 25% of the currently operating funeral homes. Racine commented on the situation saying, “When we saw evidence that was clear violation of D.C. law that impacted D.C. residents, we had no choice but to act.”
See Kristi King, DC Funeral Homes Put on Notice After Attorney General Investigation, WTOP, December 5, 2017.
Special thanks to Lewis Saret (Attorney, Washington, D.C.) for bringing this article to my attention.
