JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. — One month after more than 30 bodies were found decomposing in a Jeffersonville funeral home, its owner turned over business records.
Several families have filed a lawsuit against Randy Lankford, alleging mismanagement at the funeral home.
Lankford's court appearance Tuesday followed an order from a judge last month. Lankford said he produced documents including his insurance, lease, financial information and a download of his Facebook page.
Attorneys had also requested Lankford's email records. Tuesday, Lankford said he had forgotten the password and that police still had his phone, which he needed to reset the code.
For the second time, Lankford appeared on his own, without an attorney.
“The last hearing he said he contacted numerous lawyers and none were interested in representing him in this case," Mark Sedwick, who is representing some of the families involved in the civil case, said. "Presumably he has insurance, we just received that information, it’s a bit unique that we’ve not seen a lawyer from the insurance company in this case.”
Several family members were also in the courtroom Tuesday, and others watched over Zoom.
Amanda Humphrey sent her father to be cremated at Lankford Funeral Home. She later found out, two weeks after receiving the ashes, the remains were from another man and her father's body was one of 31 left to decompose inside the home.
“There’s no remorse, there’s no emotion one way or the other to be honest, and I want to know when they’re going to arrest him," Humphrey said.
Right now, criminal charges haven't been filed against Lankford. The Clark County Prosecutor is still waiting on a final investigative report from Jeffersonville Police before deciding on charges.
Derrick Kessinger came to court Tuesday with his two young children.
He trusted Lankford Funeral Home with his father, father-in-law and his wife, who he said was shot and killed earlier this summer.
Kessinger said he wore her ashes around his neck daily, but later found out he had been given the wrong remains.
“Not only did he leave my dad and my father-in-law rotting he gave me the wrong ashes," he said. “We used Lankford because they were the cheapest and now we know why.”
Tuesday's hearing was mostly procedural, and attorney Larry Wilder said his team will now be going through the documents Lankford provided, including his communications with family clients.
“Hopefully it will develop into more information that gives us the ability to provide answers to these individuals," Wilder said.
Wilder said the next step in the civil case is getting an official classification as a class action lawsuit.
Lankford is due back in court Sept.15, at 1:30 p.m.
The police investigation into the conditions at the funeral home is ongoing.
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