LOS ANGELES — Relatives who thought they had buried their loved one only to find out he was alive 11 days after his funeral are suing the California county responsible for what they say started as a mix-up but became a cover-up.
Frank Kerrigan’s family filed the lawsuit Tuesday alleging negligence and concealment against Orange County.
County spokeswoman Carrie Braun says she can’t comment on pending litigation but that the sheriff’s department is conducting an internal investigation.
Last May, Frank Kerrigan’s family buried a man that was wrongly identified by the Orange County Coroner’s Office as their relative.
Eleven days later, they learned Kerrigan was alive.
The man they had buried turned out to be a Kansas native named John Dickens.
Both Kerrigan and Dickens were homeless and mentally ill.
