Latest news with #Demirchyan
New York Post
09-06-2025
- General
- New York Post
LA family's been visiting empty grave to mourn their mother for 4 years after headstone mishap at cemetery: lawsuit
Grave error. Loved ones who spent years grieving their beloved family matriarch at her Los Angeles burial site were horrified to learn they had been visiting an empty grave the whole time due to a misplaced headstone, according to a lawsuit and reports. The family of the late Hasmik Demirchayn – who fled oppression from the Soviet Union in the 1980s for a better life in the US – spent the past nearly four years coming to grieve, pray, celebrate birthdays and even put up a decorated Christmas tree at an empty plot that had a headstone with her name, according to local reports. 3 Hasmik Demirchayn was buried in an unmarked plot at a cemetery, while an empty plot was given her gravestone, according to a lawsuit. Demirchyan Family Photo Marine, Hasmik's middle child, has been overwhelmed with guilt and shame for visiting the wrong gravestone, she tearfully recalled to NBC4 Los Angeles. 'When she passed, I thought, 'At least, we have given her a peaceful, respectful place to rest.' But seeing her memorial tablet placed on the wrong grave, it felt like losing her all over again,' the daughter said. 'We were just talking to an empty spot.' After Hasmik Demirchayn died of a heart attack in 2021, her children buried her in one of the plots that the family had purchased in 2008 at the Hollywood Hills location of Forest Lawn Memorial Park. Since then, her children have come to visit the gravesite and commemorate a woman they described to NBC Los Angeles as the 'perfect mom.' 'For a year, I was there every weekend, taking her flowers, and sitting and talking to her,' Marine told local station. It wasn't until this April when the children had to bury their father, who had been happily married to his wife for several decades, that they realized there had been a terrible mistake. Chris, Hasmik's son, told KTLA News that during his father's funeral service, a mortician confessed to him that his mother's headstone was above an empty plot, while her body was buried in a plot with no marker. The gravestone had been placed in 'space 1,' while the beloved matriarch was buried in 'space 2,' one plot over to the right, according to KTLA. 'It was an embarrassing moment. It was a shocking moment. It's a violation of trust,' Chris said, recalling the shocking conversation. 'I feel betrayed because we have been speaking to an empty plot.' 3 The gravestone of Hasmik Demirchayn, who died of a hear attack in July 2021. Demirchyan Family Photo Despite the cemetery fixing the mistake and moving the headstone to the right burial spot, the family has filed a lawsuit in the hopes that a similar mistake can be avoided in the future. The Demirchyan family sued Forest Lawn Mortuary and the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Association for fraud, breach of contract, negligence and negligent infliction of emotional distress and is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, according to a lawsuit obtained by PEOPLE. 'While we appreciate Forest Lawn for taking appropriate action to correct their error right after they discovered it, it still is inexcusable because this would not have come to light if my client hadn't suffered another loss,' Rosie Zilifyan, the family's attorney, told local outlets. 3 The family of Hasmik Demirchayn is suing after they learned that they had been visiting an empty plot for four years, according to the suit. AP Apologizing and fixing the mistake doesn't take away the heartache, the family said. 'They think saying sorry and moving it makes up for what was four years of mourning that we did, and we're still grieving,' George Eskichyan, Hasmik's grandson, told KTLA. 'This adds an extra layer of hurt and pain.'
The Independent
01-06-2025
- General
- The Independent
Family sues Hollywood cemetery after learning that their mom was buried in wrong grave for years
A devastated California family has filed a lawsuit against a Hollywood cemetery after learning their mother had not been buried where her headstone was – and that they had been mourning the incorrect plot for four years. The Demirchyan family made the horrifying discovery in April when burying their father, Avetis, who was supposed to be laid to rest beside his wife at Forest Lawn Cemetery. However, during the service, a mortician pulled aside their son, Chris, to tell him the headstone for his mother, Hasmik, did not match her actual burial site, KTLA reported. While her headstone was in 'space 1,' she was buried in 'space 2,' just one plot to the right, according to the report. 'I feel betrayed because we have been speaking to an empty plot,' Chris Demirchyan said. 'All those times we put down flowers, we prayed, we came for holidays, we even put up a decorated Christmas tree – it was the wrong space.' Even though the cemetery has since corrected its mistake and moved her headstone to the correct location, the Demirchyan family is filing a lawsuit over the emotional distress caused by grieving in the wrong location for years. 'While we appreciate Forest Lawn for taking appropriate action to correct their error right after they discovered it, it still is inexcusable because this would not have come to light if my client hadn't suffered another loss,' said Rosie Zilifyan, the family's attorney. The family is seeking an undisclosed amount in damages, but said their main motivation for filing the lawsuit was to prevent similar mistakes from happening to other families. 'They think saying sorry and moving it makes up for what was four years of mourning that we did, and we're still grieving,' said George Eskichyan, Hasmik's grandson. 'This adds an extra layer of hurt and pain.' The cemetery has 30 days to respond to the lawsuit, according to KTLA.
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Family sues a Hollywood Hills cemetery for placing mother's headstone over wrong grave
A grieving family is suing a cemetery in the Hollywood Hills after learning that the headstone honoring their late mother had been placed over the wrong burial plot for four years. The Demirchyan family said they discovered the mistake in April during the funeral of their father, Avetis Demirchyan, who was being laid to rest beside his wife, Hasmik, at Forest Lawn Cemetery. Their son, Chris Demirchyan, said a mortician pulled him aside during the service to inform him that Hasmik's headstone did not match her actual burial site. The memorial tablet had been placed in 'space 1,' while Hasmik was buried in 'space 2,' just one plot to the right. 'I feel betrayed because we have been speaking to an empty plot,' Chris Demirchyan told KTLA's Rachel Menitoff. 'All those times we put down flowers, we prayed, we came for holidays, we even put up a decorated Christmas tree – it was the wrong space.' The cemetery has since corrected the error by moving the headstone to the correct location. However, the Demirchyan family is filing a lawsuit, claiming emotional distress from grieving at the wrong site for years. 'While we appreciate Forest Lawn for taking appropriate action to correct their error right after they discovered it, it still is inexcusable because this would not have come to light if my client hadn't suffered another loss,' said Rosie Zilifyan, the family's attorney. The family is seeking an undisclosed amount in damages, but said their primary motivation is to prevent similar mistakes from happening to other families. 'They think saying sorry and moving it makes up for what was four years of mourning that we did, and we're still grieving,' said George Eskichyan, Hasmik's grandson. 'This adds an extra layer of hurt and pain.' KTLA has reached out to Forest Lawn Cemetery for comment. The cemetery has 30 days to respond to the lawsuit. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
