Woman says Boynton Beach funeral home cremated her son against her wishes

WEST PALM BEACH — A mother has accused a Boynton Beach funeral home of cremating her adult son against the family's wishes. Employees said they were told to do so by a woman who claimed to be the man's wife.

Linda Algozzini's lawsuit against Boynton Memorial Chapel is one of two stemming from the cremation of Dustin Laun, a 45-year-old business owner who died in a motorcycle crash in 2021. His mother is seeking additional damages from Laun’s then-girlfriend, Brittany Galli, who Algozzini says took control of Laun's final arrangements and cut short his family's time to say goodbye.

Galli does not have an attorney and could not be reached for comment.

Mother says Boynton Beach funeral home cremated son over her objections

Algozzini said she and her daughter were given 7½ minutes each to view Laun's body at Boynton Memorial Chapel and bid him farewell. An employee ushered the women out of the room afterward and told them that Laun's wife, Galli, had instructed the funeral home to keep the viewing period brief before Laun's cremation.

Algozzini said she objected immediately. Laun and Galli weren't married, she told the employee, nor did his family want his remains cremated. She said she repeated her concerns to an unnamed employee the following day, demanded that Laun not be cremated and asked for more time to say goodbye. According to Algozzini, both requests were denied.

Algozzini said she made several more attempts to speak with Stormet Norem, the funeral home's longtime director, but was unsuccessful. In her final conversation with an employee, Algozzini said she was told that Norem decided “he was not going to get involved with this issue, and it would have to be resolved in court.”

Norem died last year. Karilyn Norem Hohner, the late funeral director's daughter and representative of his estate, is named as a defendant in his stead.

More: Passenger aboard Margaritaville cruise says she was raped, impregnated by ship bartender

Lawyers for the funeral home said that while the chapel didn't verify Galli’s relationship to Laun, there is no legal requirement to do so.

“BMC was working on a good-faith basis that Galli’s representations were true, which negates any finding of ‘willful and wanton misconduct’ to support a claim for gross negligence,” wrote attorneys Barry Postman and Hunter Walker in a motion to dismiss the lawsuit.

Girlfriend said she and Laun married during informal ceremony on the beach

In addition to deciding her son's final arrangements, Algozzini said Galli took over Laun's belongings and financial assets and ignored her requests to return them to his family. Algozzini said she believes Galli sold Laun's numerous tech consulting businesses to an unknown buyer and kept the proceeds for herself.

Algozzini filed a petition in 2023 to amend her son's death certificate, which for two years listed Galli as Laun's spouse. Galli testified at a subsequent court hearing that she and Laun exchanged vows during a ceremony on the beach attended by friends and family.

More: Allstate sues Palm Beach Gardens doctor, says he faked records for 'dangerous' surgeries

Galli said the couple didn't apply for a marriage license, nor did they enlist a justice of the peace to legalize their marriage. Circuit Judge Charles Burton appointed Algozzini the sole representative for Laun's estate in September, striking Galli's name from the death certificate and paving the way for Algozzini's lawsuits against her and the funeral home.

"Boynton Memorial Chapel is very proud of the reputation that it has developed in the 45 years it has been serving the community," said attorney Barry Postman. "It prides itself on being there for families that are suffering from losses of their loved ones."

He said that while Boynton Memorial Chapel expresses its condolences to Algozzini, it believes her lawsuit is without merit. He added that "perhaps her dispute is with Ms. Galli." Postman referred to Galli as Laun's "common law wife," though Florida has not recognized common law marriage since 2016.

Hannah Phillips covers criminal justice at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at hphillips@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism and subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Boynton Beach funeral home sued over family's objections to cremation