Judge Dismisses Matthews Lawsuit over Cremation
U.S. District Judge Nora Barry Fischer has dismissed a lawsuit in which Pittsburgh-based Matthews International Corp. accused two Brownsburg, Ind., firms of interfering with its bid for a leading role in the biological cremation market.
Judge Fischer on Tuesday granted a motion filed by BioSafe Engineering and Digestor, LLC to dismiss the case. Those firms were accused by Matthews International of engaging in a “whispering campaign” in which they told potential buyers of Matthews’ Bio Cremation system that they could be subject to patent infringement claims.
Judge Fischer found that her court did not have jurisdiction over what were essentially patent or state law claims, and that Matthews International did not show evidence of “bad faith.”
Bio Cremation uses chemicals to dry out cadavers, and its proponents bill it as a “green” alternative to cremation by fire.
