Funeral home to forfeit part of business in settlement with AG

The owners of Gatens-Harding funeral home have agreed to give up a portion of their business and be subjected to increased monitoring as part of a settlement agreement with West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey’s office.

Chad and Billie Harding were ordered by a federal judge last year to pay an Iowa-based insurance company nearly $3 million for cashing in on pre-need funeral contracts for more than 100 people who weren’t actually dead.

Morrisey’s office announced Wednesday afternoon it had reached a settlement agreement with the Hardings after filing a lawsuit in 2015 in Kanawha Circuit Court. The Hardings have agreed to pay $25,000 to cover the cost of the state’s investigation into their Poca-based business.

The settlement permanently prohibits Gatens-Harding, and any related businesses owned by the Hardings, from selling pre-need contracts or accepting payments for funeral services prior to death, a news release from Morrisey’s office states.

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