Burr Oak Cemetery Case Shockingly Similar to Woodlawn

Saturday, August 1st, 2009

BRIAN WITZER INTERVIEWED ON FOX TV REGARDING GRISLY BURR OAK CASE Click Here to WATCH

The Law Offices of Brian D. Witzer has announced that they are taking on clients in the illegal disinterment cases involving Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip, IL. This comes on the heels of the record-breaking settlement the firm won for Plaintiffs in the Lewis v. Woodlawn Memorial Park litigation — a nearly identical case brought to court in Los Angeles, CA in 2005.

The Lewis v. Woodlawn case made headlines across Southern California after decades of deception was uncovered by relatives searching for their loved ones’ graves. The Lewis family had generations of family members buried in plots that had been illegally “recycled” and desecrated. The emotional toll and traumatic stress of not knowing where loved ones were buried—children, sisters, brothers, and parents—added insult to the grief the family already had for their loss.

It has been reported in newspapers across the United States that four workers at The Burr Oak Cemetery have been accused of reselling plots and dumping the bodies of those already interred in an abandoned, vacant lot. Illinois state prosecutors have stated that 200-300 bodies have been dug up, including many prominent and revered African American historical figures.

“It is heartbreaking that this has happened again,” said Brian D. Witzer, principal of the law firm, “after seeing the damage done to the Lewis family and other African American descendant’s families I hoped that I would never hear of another cemetery succumbing to greed and fraud.”

Mr. Witzer recalled the Lewis v. Woodlawn trial and the insensitive insurance adjuster who stated, “It strikes me how ‘these people’ were so taken advantage of in their lifetimes, why should their afterlife be any different?” This type of thinking so offended Mr. Witzer that he refused to settle the case against the Woodlawn Cemetery until a record-breaking number had been reached for the families of those whose heritage had been destroyed. This is in contrast to other firms who settled their cases early for nominal compensation.

If you have family members buried in the Burr Oak Cemetery, Mr. Witzer is accepting queries regarding legal representation in association with Chicago-based Law Offices of Robert Orman’s Matthew T. Malinowski, Esquire. To contact him for an immediate consultation on your case call (312) 372.0515, ext. 18 or email him at plaintifflaw4@gmail.com.

As always, The Law Offices of Brian D. Witzer, Inc. invites you to call us toll-free at 1-888-948-9376 or CLICK here to email us. Witzer Law has the track record and experience in helping families get the justice they deserve.