The family of the late Hasmik Demirchayn was devastated after finding out her burial site in Los Angeles had a misplaced headstone the entire time, according to NBC4. In truth, they had been mourning her at an empty grave, leading to a lawsuit.
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Family Devastated After Finding Out Headstone Of Late Mother Was Misplaced
Demirchayn’s family members are immigrants who fled the Soviet Union in the 1980s. The late mother fled to Los Angeles to give a good life to her three children and seven grandchildren.
Demirchayn eventually passed away due to a heart attack in 2021. Her children laid her to rest in a burial plot at the Hollywood Hills location of Forest Lawn Memorial Park. The family spent three years gathering around her grave, whether it was for birthdays or holidays.
Marine Demirchyan, the middle child, described visiting every weekend for a year. She would bring flowers and talk to the headstone, not knowing that her mother’s remains weren’t even there.
Once Chris, the brother, and Marine’s father died in April 2025, they decided to bury him beside their mom. But they were stunned to find out that their mother’s gravesite was completely empty.
“(An official) indicated to us that Forest Lawn messed up, and that the (memorial) tablet was placed at a wrong gravesite, an empty gravesite,” Chris recalled. “It was an embarrassing moment. It was a shocking moment. It’s a violation of trust.”
Family Sues Memorial Park For Misplacing Gravesite For Three Years
It took 24 hours for Forest Lawn to place the burial marker at the correct plot. Still, this hasn’t changed how traumatized this has left the grieving family. “When she passed, I thought, ‘At least, we have given her a peaceful, respectful place to rest,'” said Marine. “But seeing her memorial tablet placed on the wrong grave, it felt like losing her all over again.”
In retaliation, Chris filed a lawsuit against Forest Lawn Mortuary and Forest Lawn Memorial Park Association. They have alleged fraud, breach of contract, negligence and negligent infliction of emotional distress. In return, the family is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.
Demirchayn’s son remembered his immigrant mother for all that she did for their family. “She was caring. She was loving. And she was tough because she expected results from us,” said Chris.
Chris’s attorney described how horrible this mishap was. “The damage done to this family cannot be overstated,” said attorney Rosie Zilifyan. “The lawsuit seeks to hold Forest Lawn accountable and to ensure that no other grieving family is subjected to such a devastating mistake.”