Class-action lawsuit filed in cemetery desecration

A class-action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of people who have relatives buried at a suburban Chicago cemetery where bodies were allegedly removed from graves and dumped so that the plots could be resold.

The lawsuit filed Friday names Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip, the cemetery's owners, and four people charged in the scheme.

Burr Oak's former manager and three gravediggers are charged with one count each of dismembering a human body.

None of the defendants in the class-action suit could be reached for comment.

Attorneys say two families are suing so far, but two more will be added to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit also seeks the appointment of a liaison between the families, law enforcement and the cemetery operators.