PENROSE — A judgment has been issued in a civil case against Return to Nature Funeral Home owners Jon and Carie Hallford.
The two are accused of abusing nearly 200 human bodies after they were found at various stages of decomposition in October of 2023.
On August 5, the law firm representing the families sent a letter to those families outlining the judgment. It comes after owners Jon and Carrie Hallford have not acknowledged the lawsuit or shown up to court for the case over the past 10 months.
The law firm's letter claims the $956,825,044.10 judgment made by Judge Lynette Wenner last week is the largest in Colorado.
While this could be the largest judgment in Colorado's history, it may not be fully delivered to the 125 families named in the lawsuit.
In an interview with our news partner The Gazette, Andrew Swan, one of the attorneys for the plaintiffs, urged caution for the families as there is no guarantee of compensation.
Swan said in a case like this the judgment in a class-action lawsuit, the defendant is required to pay the sum ordered by the court but Swan acknowledged the Hallfords do not have the assets to pay the sum ordered by the court.
Jon and Carie Hallford are scheduled to be in court on September 20 for their criminal case for their arraignment in the state case.
A court date is also set for October regarding the Hallfords federal fraud case.
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