Jury awards 3 Bexar County siblings over $1M after their mother’s urn, ashes are destroyed

A San Antonio jury awarded over $1 million to three siblings—Deidre Kollars, Yvonne Rigal Holguin, and Peter Moreno—after their mother’s urn and ashes were destroyed by an excavator at San Jose Burial Park during their father’s burial in August 2021. The siblings sued Mission Park Funeral Chapels & Cemeteries, alleging negligence for digging at the wrong burial plot despite clear markers. The excavator shattered their mother’s urn, scattering her ashes, which the family had to collect in the rain.

After a trial, 11 of 12 jurors found Mission Park negligent, awarding $1,025,000 in damages for mental anguish. Mission Park denied liability, arguing that the shallow burial depth of Diana Moreno’s urn was a pre-existing condition caused by the city or an unknown party. The company intends to appeal, contesting the jury’s ruling and the exclusion of the city’s potential negligence from the case.

For more information see Patrick Danner “Jury awards 3 Bexar County siblings over $1M after their mother’s urn, ashes are destroyed,” San Antonio Express News, January 21, 2025. 

Special thanks to Glen Yale (Yale Law Firm) for bringing this article to my attention.