The following is an extended version of the story that appears in our latest print edition.

A business dispute among former business associates of a longtime, Bronx funeral home in Norwood has left an unfathomable situation for clients of the business, according to one of the parties to the dispute who said families of the deceased still have to pick up cremated remains and death certificates from the business, while the related files have been removed from the premises.

The same party said because certain family members’ “prearrangement” documents have been removed from the premises by the other party in the midst of the dispute, it leaves families of the deceased in a type of legal limbo as regards their loved ones’ wishes. The situation has also raised allegations by one party to the dispute that duplicate filings were allegedly made to NYC Department of Social Services-HRA Office of Burial Services (OBS) in respect of at least one funeral expense claim.

According to the State health department’s bureau of funeral directing, people can preplan their own funerals and pay for them in advance. State officials say before doing so, people should know about New York State’s “laws that regulate prepaid funeral money.” Additionally, in New York State, only a licensed and registered funeral director may make funeral arrangements for the care, moving, preparation and burial or cremation of a deceased person. According to NYS DOH, at the least, the funeral director will file the...

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