Eric Mays’ remains, funeral services in limbo after court hearing delayed until March 11

Flint, MI— The legal battle between Eric Mays’ son and four siblings over the handling of his remains will continue in 7th Circuit Court in Genesee County on Monday, March 11 after a hearing was adjourned on Thursday, March 7.

By request from Attorney Loyst Fletcher, who represents Lawrence E. Moon Funeral Home and Eric Mays’ sister Veronica Simon, Judge Brian S. Pickell granted the adjournment, rescheduling the hearing for March 11 at 11 a.m.

Fletcher asked Pickell for the adjournment during the March 7 hearing, saying only Simon was served with litigation paperwork, and the other siblings named in the lawsuit were not properly served. 

After Eric Mays died without a will on Feb. 24, his only child, Eric HaKeem Deontaye Mays, filed a lawsuit against Lawrence E. Moon Funeral Home, Sherman Mays, Veronica Simon, Reggie Mays, and Kevin Mays after they made funeral and burial arrangements for his father without his consent. 

In his lawsuit, Eric HaKeem Deontaye Mays says he has the right to make the decisions about his father’s final affairs. The suit seeks the transfer of Eric Mays’ body from Lawrence E. Moon Funeral Home to Paradise Funeral Chapel in Saginaw, MI. 

Originally, there was a funeral planned for Mays on Saturday, March 9, but Pickell left a temporary restraining order in place that enjoins Lawrence E. Moon Funeral Home from proceeding with the plans. 

With Mays’ funeral being delayed, the City of Flint is asking the community to honor Mays with a moment of silence on March 9 from 12:00 p.m. to 12:01 p.m.

Mays’ body will remain at Lawrence E. Moon Funeral Home until the hearing resumes. Fletcher said the funeral home would allow Eric HaKeem Deontaye Mays and his attorneys with Lento Law Group to see his body. 

In a statement released after the hearing, Joseph Cannizzo, an attorney for Lento Law Group, said they are encouraged by the funeral home’s actions and that the late councilman’s siblings cannot continue with their funeral plans. 
 
In a statement through Lento Law Group, Eric HaKeem Deontaye Mays said he’s “disappointed” about the dispute continuing but believes he’s one step closer to giving his father a proper homecoming.
 
“I am anxious to see my father’s remains to ensure he was properly cared for by the Moon Funeral Home since the day he passed away,” he said. “I would like to thank everyone in the Flint community and across the country who has supported me while I’ve been forced to fight the kind of fight no son wants to have to fight after losing his father.”

Both Loyst and Mays’ siblings declined to comment on the proceedings on March 7.