Why did the LA Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors get involved?
Under La. state law, only licensed funeral parlors may sell caskets. When the Benedictine monks of St. Joseph’s Abbey started selling their caskets in 2007, a La. funeral home complained to the state board. The embalmers and funeral directors’ board then subpoenaed the abbey. The monks filed for exemptions from the casket sale law in 2008 and 2010 and were denied both times. The board, which is composed of four embalmers, four funeral directors, and one citizen member who must be over 60 years of age, insists the monks need a funeral director’s license. Further, St. Joseph’s Abbey must be licensed as a funeral home so their offer of free storage for purchased caskets can be legal. Why would the Benedictine monks sue the board? The monks are charging the La. Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors with maintaining a casket cartel. Further, their suit notes that the board’s rules about who may perform casket sales within state borders is oddly drawn. Since the monks are inside Louisiana
