Woodlawn Memorial Park

Case Synopsis

After California officials shut down Woodlawn Cemetery in Compton due to the discovery of bone fragments, scattered caskets, and unauthorized burials, Arias Sanguinetti filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of affected families. The lead plaintiff alleged that her mother’s single-purchased gravesite had been used to bury multiple individuals before her mother’s death—a fact she only discovered upon trying to lay her mother to rest. The state’s Department of Consumer Affairs had launched a parallel investigation, uncovering widespread mishandling of human remains and illegal disinterments. At the request of state officials, attorney Mike Arias initially delayed filing to avoid disrupting the investigation. Once filed, the suit aimed to hold the cemetery accountable for systemic negligence, fraud, and the deep emotional harm caused to families who entrusted Woodlawn with their loved ones’ final resting place. The case helped prompt broader scrutiny and calls for legislative reform.