Family sues over coffin malfunction

YOUNGSTOWN -- A widow and daughter who say a man's coffin malfunctioned during a burial service, exposing his body, have sued the funeral home that handled the arrangements, saying it negligently inflicted distress upon them.
Judy Minchin, widow of John Skook, who was buried Oct. 21, 2004, and Skook's daughter, Halle Minchin-Skook, both of Como Street, Struthers, sued Becker Funeral Homes of Struthers in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court for an amount not to exceed 25,000 and demanded a jury trial.
Funeral home staff members had made adjustments to the coffin hardware to conform to the widow's wishes but weren't available to correct the malfunction at the burial service, forcing a family member to refasten the hardware, says the suit, which was filed Tuesday by Atty. Robert J. Rohrbaugh II.
Funeral Director Dan Becker said he hadn't seen the lawsuit and did not offer any comment on it.