The South Carolina woman is seeking a refund of more than $13,000, plus damages and attorney fees

NEED TO KNOW

• A South Carolina woman has filed a lawsuit against a local funeral home after the company allegedly placed the wrong body in her mother’s casket
• The lawsuit alleges that Ocean View Funeral Home acknowledged the error and delayed the viewing by two hours to correct the mistake
• The woman seeks a refund of more than $13,000, plus damages and attorney fees

A South Carolina woman has filed a lawsuit against a local funeral home alleging the company placed the wrong body in her mother’s casket — and dressed the body in her clothes for the viewing.

In a complaint filed in Horry County on Tuesday, Oct. 6, Iris Gordon accused Ocean View Funeral Home, located in Conway, S.C., just outside Myrtle Beach, of breach of contract, negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress following the incident at her mother Iris Walker-Evans’ funeral in January.

The complaint, obtained by local outlets WMBF, the Post and Courier and WBTW, states that Gordon is seeking the return of the more than $13,000 she was charged for the funeral.

“The purpose of the open-casket viewing was to give … family members the opportunity to have one final, lasting image of Mrs. Evans, presented in her best, to cherish in their memories,” the complaint states. “Ocean View breached the contract by failing to present Mrs. Evans … tainting the casket so purchased, and tainting the personal items of clothing provided for Mrs. Evans.”

Walker-Evans died on Jan. 14 at age 87. Gordon then worked with one of the funeral home’s owners to plan a viewing for 3 p.m. on Jan. 30 at the home’s Conway chapel. Walker-Evans was then set to be honored at Conway’s True Worship United Pentecostal Church and buried at Westside Memorial Gardens.

Gordon alleged in the suit that she paid the funeral home $13,820.55 in total. The costs included her mother’s casket, body preparations, funeral services and memorial prayer cards. Gordon also provided the funeral home with her mother’s clothes and accessories, including black and gold African attire, complete with a scarf, hat and wig, so that the funeral home could dress her mother for the viewing.

“These personal dress items represented Mrs. Evans’ favorite dress, colors and themes,” the complaint states. “For her family members, these items were provided with an intent to create a long-lasting final image of Mrs. Evans, reminiscent of her dressed in her Sunday best while singing in the church choir.”

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Gordon alleges that on the day of the viewing, she and 20 other family members arrived at the service — only to find a stranger’s body inside the coffin, wearing her mother’s clothing.

The discovery was “humiliating and embarrassing,” the complaint states, and Gordon began to cry after seeing the stranger’s body in her mother’s coffin.

“Iris was devastated by what she saw and the experience,” the complaint reads. “The image of an unknown stranger dressed as her mother at the solemn occasion of a viewing in front of herself and all of her closest family members caused her humiliation, embarrassment, and to break down emotionally.”

“[Gordon] immediately notified Ocean View staff members present of the issue, and [the owner] was contacted by phone. In the phone call with [Gordon], [the owner] acknowledged that Ocean View had made an error,” the complaint adds.

The viewing was rescheduled for two hours later to fix the mistake. By 5 p.m., Walker-Evans’ body was in her casket and dressed in her own clothing.

Gordon has accused the funeral home of violating its contract with her family. She is seeking a full refund of the funeral costs, plus damages and attorney fees.

PEOPLE has reached out to the Ocean View Funeral Home for comment.

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