Alabama Supreme Court Says Town Immune from Body Parts Suit

The Alabama Supreme Court has ruled that a family can’t sue a Dallas County town where firefighters are accused of leaving the remains of a fire victim inside a burned home.

The court ruled last Friday that the town of Valley Grande and its mayor are immune from a suit filed by relatives of James Barlow Sr. and his mother, Bertha Yeager.

The two died in a house fire in January 2011, and relatives thought all the remains were removed. But the suit said they found some of Barlow’s remains in a body bag at the site four months later.

The family sued the city arguing its volunteer firefighters were negligent and caused them emotional pain by leaving the remains.

The town argued that it is immune from such suits, and the justices agreed.