LESLIE ANN A. COLE, ROBERT D. CAMAC,
CLINTON W. CAMAC, MICHAEL F. CAMAC,
EUGENE CAMAC, AND GAIL CAMAC FORAKER,
Plaintiffs-Appellants,
and
JOYCE A. CAMAC,
Plaintiff,
v.
LAUGHREY FUNERAL HOME,
TRACY STRANAHAN AND
MICHAEL STRANAHAN,
Defendants-Respondents.
___________________________________________________________
Submitted February 16, 2005 - Decided March 22, 2005
Before Judges Axelrad, R. B. Coleman and Holston, Jr.
On appeal from Superior Court of New Jersey, Law Division, Gloucester County, Docket
No. L-1646-02.
Lummis, Krell & Baker, attorneys for appellants (Theodore E. Baker, on the brief).
Margolis Edelstein, attorneys for respondent Laughrey Funeral Home (Colleen M. Ready, of counsel;
Ian M. Sirota, on the brief).
Cozen O'Connor, attorneys for respondents Tracy Stranahan and Michael Stranahan (James H. Heller,
on the brief).
The opinion of the court was delivered by
HOLSTON, JR., J.A.D.
Plaintiffs, Leslie Ann Cole (Leslie Ann), Robert D. Camac (Robert D.), Clinton W.
Camac (Clinton), Michael F. Camac (Michael F.), Eugene Camac (Eugene), and Gail Camac
Foraker (Gail), appeal the January 30, 2004 order granting summary judgment by which
the trial court dismissed plaintiffs' Consumer Fraud Act (CFA) claims against defendant, Laughrey
Funeral Home (Laughrey), and dismissed plaintiffs' intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress
claims against defendants, Tracy Stranahan (Tracy) and Michael Stranahan (Michael).
See footnote 1
Plaintiffs also appeal
the March 12, 2004 order denying plaintiffs' motion for reconsideration.
See footnote 2
On December 6, 2001, Robert W. Camac (Robert W.) and his wife, Maryann
Camac (Maryann), were shot and killed in their home by their stepson, Wade
Russell. Robert W. is survived by the natural children of his first marriage,
Leslie Ann, Clinton, Robert D. and Michael F. He is also survived by
his brother, Eugene, his sister, Gail, and a cousin, Joyce. Additionally, Robert W.
also left surviving his adopted daughter, Tracy, who he raised since age six.
Tracy was the natural daughter of his wife, Maryann. Tracy is married to
Michael.
Tracy, as the closest next of kin of Robert W. and the only
next of kin of Maryann except for Wade Russell, initiated steps for the
funeral of her parents. Tracy retained the services of Laughrey and signed a
contract with Laughrey for the funerals of both Robert W. and Maryann. The
contract with Laughrey included arrangements for the viewing and funeral services for both
of Tracy's parents. Plaintiffs were not involved in making arrangements for the funeral,
the funeral services or making decisions with respect to whether or not a
viewing of the decedents would be held. Without plaintiffs having any contact with
the funeral home, Tracy and Michael made all arrangements with respect to the
funeral, the services, and whether a viewing would take place.
Robert W. was clearly not close with the children from his first marriage:
Robert D. had not seen his father in thirty years; forty-one year old
Clinton had not seen him since he was four or five years old;
forty-four year old Leslie Ann had not seen her father since she was
sixteen; and Michael F. saw his father once or twice a year and
had only seen him about four times in the three years before his
death. Decedent's brother and sister were not close enough to him to know
he had adopted Tracy. Tracy lived with her father and her mother from
the time she was six years old.
Plaintiffs allege that Tracy dictated and controlled the events surrounding the funeral and
viewing and arranged for, with the consent and assistance of Laughrey, a private
viewing for Tracy and her side of the family, excluding plaintiffs from participating
in a viewing of Robert W. and excluding plaintiffs generally in the funeral
arrangements.
Tracy consulted with Leslie Ann in an attempt to compromise on the funeral
and burial arrangements. It was decided that the funeral service would be conducted
by Laughrey but that the burial of Robert W. would take place in
Delaware at Gracelawn Cemetery, the cemetery preferred by Leslie Ann and her siblings.
Prior to the funeral, Joyce contacted Leslie Ann and asked if Reverend Jack
Cordell could take part in the service. Tracy agreed to this and Reverend
Cordell did, in fact, participate in the service at Joyce's request. Leslie Ann
also provided Michael with information in order to help him prepare the obituary.
At the funeral, Michael asked Clinton and Leslie Ann if they would like
to stand next to their father's casket. Michael asked Eugene if he or
any of Robert W.'s sons would like to be pallbearers. Eugene and his
son, Kevin, were pallbearers.
Tracy and Michael intended to have a closed-casket funeral because of John Laughrey's
comments to them concerning the condition of her parents' remains as a result
of their murders and autopsies. However, late on Wednesday evening, December 12, 2001,
while at the funeral home delivering the clothes that Robert W. and Maryann
were to be buried in and after learning that her parents' bodies were
in the very next room, Tracy decided that she wanted to view them.
John Laughrey tried to dissuade Tracy from viewing her parents because of the
condition of their bodies, but Tracy nevertheless decided to have a viewing and
scheduled it for the following evening, the night before the funeral.
Tracy wanted an intimate viewing, and the people who she and Michael invited
were Tracy's grandparents, James and Dee McGoldrick; her aunt and uncle, Karen and
Kevin McGoldrick; and Michael's mother, Dee Stranahan. However, without either Michael's or Tracy's
consent, Tracy's grandparents invited additional people who attended the private viewing.
Plaintiffs never requested a viewing of Robert W., and neither Tracy, Michael, nor
anyone at Laughrey told any of them that they could not have a
viewing. Leslie Ann testified that she never asked Tracy or Michael for a
viewing between December 6 and December 14, 2001. Eugene indicated that he never
had a conversation with Tracy or Michael concerning a viewing and that no
one stated that a viewing could not be had. Joyce stated that she
never asked the Stranahans if it would be permissible for the Camac side
of the family to have a viewing. Gail testified that she never asked
about a viewing nor did anyone tell her that she could not have
one. Michael F. testified that he never requested a viewing of his father
and that no one said that he could not have a viewing. John
Laughrey testified that if plaintiffs had requested a viewing of Robert W., he
would have permitted them to view him. Although there was no public viewing
of the decedents' bodies, there was a viewing in the sense of a
gathering to pay respects at the funeral home prior to the funeral service.
Plaintiffs allege that Laughrey committed a violation of the CFA based on its
affirmative misrepresentations to them that there would be a viewing and in its
intentional failure to inform them of the private viewing held for the Stranahan
side of the family. Plaintiffs claim that Laughrey's affirmative misrepresentations falsely misled and
deceived them into believing that an open viewing of their father/brother would take
place by virtue of the obituary notices in several newspapers advising that there
would be a public viewing between 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. on December
14, 2001. Later, plaintiffs claim they were misled by John Laughrey informing them
that their father's/brother's body was badly disfigured and by John Laughrey advising them
against a viewing.
Plaintiffs point to the statement of Julia Russell Wright (Julia), Wade Russell's former
wife, who attended the private viewing. Julia indicated that the bodies were not
too disfigured to have allowed a viewing and that the decedents appeared to
be presentable. Clinton testified that John Laughrey advised him when he telephoned the
funeral home on December 11, 2001 that there would be a public viewing
from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on December 14, 2001 and that he
should arrive at 9:30 a.m.
The intentional misrepresentation constituting an act of omission was in Laughrey's failure to
advise any of the plaintiffs about the private viewing held for the benefit
of Tracy and Michael and that they, too, would be entitled to a
private viewing of Robert W. Plaintiffs, therefore, allege that the misrepresentations by Laughrey
contained in the obituary notices and to Clinton by telephone that a viewing
would be held, the misrepresentations to family members that because of the condition
of the decedents' bodies that no public viewing should be held, and the
concealment from them of the separate private viewing for the Stranahans constituted unconscionable
and deceitful commercial practices in violation of the CFA.
Plaintiffs allege that the Stranahans either negligently or intentionally misled or deceived them
in believing that no viewing was possible because of their father's disfigured body
from the gunshot wound and autopsy. They contend Tracy and Michael are, thus,
liable based on legal theories of intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligent
infliction of emotional distress because plaintiffs were deprived of the opportunity to attend
a viewing of their father/brother.
Plaintiffs allege that the conduct of the Stranahans in misrepresenting that a viewing
would be held and then concealing that a private viewing was held was
done intentionally to cause them emotional distress and to demean their relationship with
their father/brother. Plaintiffs seek damages for the emotional distress that was inflicted upon
them by defendants' conduct.
Plaintiffs present the following arguments for our consideration.
POINT I
THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN GRANTING SUMMARY JUDGMENT TO LAUGHREY FUNERAL HOME BECAUSE
A FUNERAL HOME CANNOT MISLEAD FAMILY MEMBERS AS TO THE CONDITION OF BODIES
AND A VIEWING WITHOUT RUNNING AFOUL OF THE CONSUMER FRAUD ACT, N.J.S.A. 56:8-1,
ET SEQ.
POINT II
THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN GRANTING SUMMARY JUDGMENT TO TRACY AND MICHAEL STRANAHAN
BECAUSE THE FACT FINDER COULD DETERMINE THAT THE STRANAHANS INTENTIONALLY INFLICTED EMOTIONAL DISTRESS
UPON THE PLAINTIFFS AND THAT THE DAMAGES WERE EITHER ACTUAL OR INSUFFICIENT AS
A MATTER OF LAW.
[Id. at 612-13.]
The damages sought by plaintiffs here, as outlined in the certifications contained in
plaintiffs' appendix to their appellate brief, recite how they were emotionally affected by
their inability to have an open viewing of Robert W. Those damages constitute
non-economic losses that are not recoverable under the CFA.
Plaintiffs do not list as an appealable issue the judge's dismissal of their
claim for breach of contract. Plaintiffs also do not assert as a damages
claim their alleged agreement with Tracy to be responsible for eighty percent of
the funeral bill. The June 8, 2003 statement from Laughrey for funeral services
and costs associated with the funeral was directed by Laughrey to Tracy Camac
Shanahan only. The funeral statement was not directed to the estates of Robert
W. and Maryann Camac.
(2) that the conduct was "extreme and outrageous";
(3) that the actions of the defendant were the cause of the plaintiff's distress
. . . ; and
(4) that the emotional distress sustained by the plaintiff was severe.
[49 Prospect Street Tenants Ass'n v. Sheva Gardens, Inc.,
227 N.J. Super. 449,
474 (App. Div. 1988) (citation omitted).]
In this case, plaintiffs point to no evidence in the record that would
prove the required elements to satisfy the elevated threshold of a claim for
intentional infliction of emotional distress. None of plaintiffs ever requested a viewing of
Robert W., and neither Tracy nor Michael told any of them that they
could not have one. Further, there is no evidence that Tracy or Michael
instructed anyone associated with Laughrey not to allow plaintiffs to have a viewing
of Robert W.
Michael and Tracy did include several of plaintiffs in arrangements for the funeral
and burial of Robert W. Indeed, the Stranahans did not bury Robert W.
in New Jersey where they wanted to bury him. In order to reach
a compromise with plaintiffs regarding the location of the burial, plaintiffs agreed to
bury Robert W. at Gracelawn Cemetery in Delaware. When preparing the obituary, Michael
called Leslie Ann to obtain information about the Camac family. This information was
included in the obituary.
Pursuant to the request of Joyce, Reverend Cordell spoke at the funeral. At
the funeral, Michael asked Clinton and Leslie Ann if they would like to
stand next to Robert W.'s casket. Michael asked Eugene if he or any
of Robert W.'s sons would like to be pallbearers. As a result, Eugene
and his son, Kevin, were both pallbearers.
Plaintiffs do not point to any evidence in the record that support their
contention that the Stranahans intended to inflict emotional distress on them or that
they acted in reckless disregard of a high probability that their actions would
cause emotional distress. Although Tracy and Michael had a viewing of Robert W.
and Maryann and plaintiffs did not, the Stranahans' conduct was not extreme or
outrageous. Most of plaintiffs did not know Tracy or Michael and had never
spoken to either of them prior to the death of Robert W. It
was not extreme or outrageous conduct for the Stranahans to hold a private
viewing without plaintiffs, many of whom were, in fact, strangers to them. Clinton
testified during his deposition that, if he had been able to have a
viewing of his father, it would have been acceptable for the Stranahans to
have their own viewing.
The tort of intentional infliction of emotional distress requires emotional trauma that is
severe. In Buckley v. Trenton Saving Fund Soc'y,
111 N.J. 355, 365-66 (1988),
our Supreme Court noted the Restatement (Second) of Torts § 46 comment d (1965),
as follows:
(1) One who by extreme and outrageous conduct intentionally or recklessly causes severe
emotional distress to another is subject to liability for such emotional distress, and
if bodily harm to the other results from it, for such bodily harm.
The Court explained that comment d indicates that liability may be imposed where:
"The conduct [has been] 'so outrageous in character, and so extreme in degree,
as to go beyond all possible bounds of decency, and to be regarded
as atrocious, and utterly intolerable in a civilized community.'" Id. at 366 (quoting
Restatement (Second) of Torts, supra, § 46 comment d). We hold as a matter
of law that the conduct referenced here does not meet the enhanced standard
of outrage required by Buckley.
Plaintiffs assert a claim for negligent infliction of emotional distress. To prove negligent
infliction of emotional distress, a plaintiff must prove that the "defendant's conduct was
negligent and proximately caused plaintiff's injuries." Decker v. Princeton Packet, Inc.,
116 N.J. 418, 429 (1989). In order to do so, the plaintiff must prove that
the defendant owed a duty of care to the plaintiff, which is analyzed
in terms of foreseeability. Ibid. This is because "recovery for negligent infliction of
emotional harm requires that it must be reasonably foreseeable that the tortious conduct
will cause genuine and substantial emotional distress or mental harm to average persons."
Id. at 430.
The Decker Court held that "foreseeability of injury is particularly important in the
tort of negligent infliction of emotional harm. This reflects the concern over the
genuineness of an injury consisting of emotional distress without consequent physical injury." Id.
at 429. Therefore, "there must be 'an especial likelihood of genuine and serious
mental distress, arising from special circumstances, which serves as a guarantee that the
claim is not spurious.'" Id. at 429-30 (citation omitted). The Supreme Court held
that a duty of care arises when a defendant should have foreseen "'fright
or shock severe enough to cause substantial injury in a person normally constituted.'"
Id. at 429 (quoting Caputzal v. Lindsay Co.,
48 N.J. 69, 76 (1966)).
For a legal duty to attach, plaintiffs would have to show that it
was foreseeable that they would suffer substantial emotional distress by not attending a
private viewing of Robert W. Under New Jersey law, the question of whether
a duty exists is a matter of law to be decided by the
court, not the jury. See Essex v. New Jersey Bell Tel. Co.,
166 N.J. Super. 124, 127 (App. Div. 1979).
"In determining the duty of care that is owed a tort victim, courts
are enjoined to consider and weigh matters of public policy. 'The actual imposition
of a duty of care and the formulation of the standards defining such
a duty derive from considerations of public policy and fairness.'" Williamson v. Waldman,
150 N.J. 232, 245 (1997) (quoting Hopkins v. Fox & Lazo Realtors,
132 N.J. 426, 439 (1993)) (citation omitted).
We are satisfied, after a thorough examination of the record, that plaintiffs have
failed to articulate legal support for their contention that the Stranahans owed a
duty to notify them of the private viewing or to take any steps
to insure that they participated in a public or private viewing. Plaintiffs had
no legally-protected right to attend the viewing. The court below recognized the absence
of New Jersey case law on this point. Nevertheless, other courts have addressed
the matter and found no such duty exists.
In Seaton v. Commonwealth,
149 S.W. 871 (Ky. 1912), a father buried his
infant daughter himself, refusing to permit his relatives or his wife's relatives to
be notified, and he did not have any services at the grave. The
court stated:
His relatives and friends may have regarded this conduct on his part as
a lack of consideration or respect for their feelings in the matter, but
this is the extent of the bearing which his conduct, in this particular,
can have upon the case. They had no legal right to be present.
They may have been offended, because not notified or invited, but no ground
of complaint is afforded to the public on this account.
[Id. at 873 (emphasis added).]
In this case, plaintiffs were obviously offended that they were not invited to
the viewing. However, they had no legal right to attend the viewing, and
the Stranahans had no legally-imposed duty to notify them of the viewing. Further,
it was unforeseeable that plaintiffs would suffer severe emotional distress because they did
not attend the private viewing of Robert W. and Maryann.
We conclude as a matter of law that it is unforeseeable that attending
the funeral but not the private viewing of a family member will result
in "'fright or shock severe enough to cause substantial injury in a person
normally constituted.'" Decker, supra, 116 N.J. at 429 (quoting Caputzal, supra, 48 N.J.
at 76) (emphasis added).
Within the context of a familial relationship, a court will consider "the strength
of [the] family ties" in assessing whether a defendant owes a duty to
a plaintiff. Giardina v. Bennett,
111 N.J. 412, 419 (1988). As proffered to
the court below, a number of plaintiffs admitted that they had not seen
or even spoken with Robert W. in decades. Indeed, prior to the death
of his father, Robert D. had not seen him in approximately thirty years
and during those thirty years, he never attempted to speak with his father.
Similarly, the last time Clinton, who is currently forty-one, saw his father, he
was four or five years old. Leslie Ann, who is currently forty-four years
old, last saw her father, purely by chance, when she was sixteen years
old, and thereafter made no attempt to contact him again during his lifetime.
Given the lack of a substantial relationship between Robert W. and a number
of plaintiffs and their lack of an effort to see their father while
living, it was particularly unforeseeable that they would suffer any, much less severe,
emotional distress by not attending the private viewing arranged by Tracy Stranahan for
her side of the family.
It was also unforeseeable that the plaintiffs who had actually seen Robert W.
in recent years would suffer severe emotional distress as a result of not
attending the viewing. The Stranahans could not have foreseen that they would emotionally
damage plaintiffs, most of whom the Stranahans did not even know, by not
inviting them to the viewing to which they had invited only five close
Stranahan family members. Plaintiffs never told the Stranahans of their desire to have
a viewing, and the Stranahans never told them they could not have a
viewing. Plaintiffs, or any of them, were free to request a viewing, but
they chose not to do so. In view of their own inaction, there
was no reason for the Stranahans to foresee that they would suffer any
emotional distress.
As with plaintiffs' claim for intentional infliction of emotional distress, plaintiffs cannot prove
their claim for negligent infliction of emotional distress because there is absolutely no
evidence that their emotional distress was proximately caused by any actions that the
Stranahans took. This is because in plaintiffs' deposition testimony, they cannot differentiate between
the pain they suffered as a result of the death of Robert W.
and the pain they allegedly suffered from not having a viewing.
Plaintiffs cannot prove the emotional distress that they contend to have suffered as
a result of the Stranahans' conduct was severe and not idiosyncratic. Indeed, with
the exception of Gail, who apparently was so severely affected that she had
to seek treatment beginning two years after the death of her brother, none
of the other plaintiffs have sought psychiatric or psychological care as a result
of not viewing Robert W. Because plaintiffs did not receive any psychiatric or
psychological care after learning of the private viewing, none of them have been
diagnosed or can prove through medical professionals that they suffered a severe and
disabling emotional or mental condition resulting from their failure to have a private
viewing of Robert W. Additionally, none of them, including Gail, can distinguish between
the emotional distress attributable to their father's/brother's death itself, his manner of death
and to any actions attributable by them to the Stranahans.
We hold that the CFA does not apply to the misrepresentations alleged against
Laughrey because (1) the misrepresentations alleged were not made to induce plaintiffs to
contract with Laughrey for Robert W.'s funeral; (2) the emotional injuries alleged constitute
non-economic damages that are not recoverable under the CFA; (3) plaintiffs have failed
to prove as a matter of law that any actions attributable to Tracy
or Michael Stranahan constitute extreme or outrageous conduct that caused severe emotional distress;
and (4) plaintiffs have failed to prove as a matter of law that
Tracy or Michael Stranahan breached a legally-imposed duty of care owed by them
to plaintiffs that proximately caused damages legally recoverable for their emotional distress.
Affirmed.
Footnote: 1
Joyce Camac withdrew her participation in this appeal.
Footnote: 2 Although the judge denied the motion for reconsideration, the judge permitted the record
to be supplemented with (1) evidence as to Gail's nervous breakdown and emotional
distress resulting in her hospitalization on the issue of emotional harm damages and
(2) testimony as to Tracy having no contact with her parents for approximately
six months prior to their death even though this evidence was available at
the time of the motion for summary judgment. See R. 4:49-2; Cummings v.
Bahr,
295 N.J. Super. 374, 384-85 (App. Div. 1996).
Footnote: 3
In Sportelli, Terese Jones and her husband, David, sought non-economic damages for Terese's
pain and suffering and David's loss of consortium because of an IUD incorrectly
inserted by defendant, Dr. Nicholas Sportelli, causing the perforation of Terese Jones' uterus,
surgery for the removal of the IUD and an abortion as a result
of her becoming pregnant while she suffered the perforation of her uterus. Sportelli,
supra, 166 N.J. Super. at 385. The Sportelli Court concluded: "Since monetary damages
for pain and suffering are awarded because of a loss of good health
and not on the basis of a loss of moneys or property, treble
recompense for pain and suffering is not statutorily authorized and cannot be recovered.
Likewise, since a loss of consortium is a loss of the company and
affection of one's spouse, and again, not a loss of moneys or property,
plaintiffs are not entitled to treble recompense for that loss either." Id. at
392.