The FTC's rule was promulgated in 1984 and revised in 1993. In the latest industry education effort, shortly after the amended rule become effective in July 1994, the Commission sent a detailed guide on how to comply with the rule to more than 18,000 funeral homes, virtually every one in the country. The cases announced today involve charges against seven Nashville funeral homes and their principal officers for failing to give the test shoppers the required general price lists. In the three FTC Funeral Rule cases, the defendants have agreed to settle the charges under consent decrees that, if approved by the federal district court, would require the homes to pay civil penalties and to comply with all provisions of the Funeral Rule. State Attorneys General can bring cases against funeral homes who do not provide price lists under their own state consumer protection laws.
Copies are available at the address below.
The Commission vote to authorize filing of the Nashville cases was 5-0. They were filed yesterday by the Department of Justice at the FTC's request in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, in Nashville. These consent decrees are for settlement purposes only and do not constitute admissions by the defendants of law violations. Consent decrees have the force of law when signed by the judge.