Egidio DiPardo & Sons, Inc. v. Lauzon

OPINION

FLANDERS, Justice.

A macabre mother-son feud over the remains of a family’s multi-generational burial business muddied the funeral plot in this case. The plaintiff, Elaine DiPardo (Elaine), was the widowed matriarch of the plaintiff, Egidio DiPardo & Sons, Inc. (DiPardo & Sons), a venerable Woonsocket mortuary. James P. DiPardo (James), her now-deceased son, was the funeral home’s business manager and heir apparent. A vaunted embalmer and much-heralded funeral-home director, James decided in 1993 to join forces with another Woonsocket funeral merchant. His co-venturer, the defendant,…