Connecting Directors

Monks Suing For Right to Sell Caskets Set for Trial on Monday

Funeral Industry News June 3, 2011

We believe that every funeral director should have the tools to succeed. With the help of our field-leading partners, we publish daily funeral industry news and provide free tools to help our readers advance their careers and grow their businesses. Our editorial focus on the future, covering impact-conscious funeral care, trends, tech, marketing, and exploring how today's funeral news affects your future.

From: NOLA.com – A federal lawsuit brought by St. Tammany Parish monks fighting for their right to sell handcrafted caskets to the public without a state license is set to go to trial Monday in New Orleans.

U.S. District Judge Stanwood Duval ruled in April that lawyers representing monks from St. Joseph Abbey near Covington could attempt to prove in court that a state law restricting casket sales to licensed funeral directors amounts to unconstitutional economic protectionism.

The monks’ legal team, from the Virginia-based Institute of Justice, seeks to have that statute stricken. It expects the bench trial to last through the middle of next week, said Jeffrey Rowes, the group’s senior lawyer.

Read Full Article Here: http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2011/06/st_joseph_abbey_monks_suing_fo.html