Lawsuit filed over cemetery left as giant mound of earth

WAYNESBURG, Pa. – Descendants of people buried in a small cemetery in western Pennsylvania are suing the owners of a motel over an excavation project that left the cemetery a mound of earth more than 25 feet high.

The (Washington) Observer-Reporter reports the suit filed April 4 against Nikita Lodging Inc. calls on the company to stabilize Rhodes Cemetery, allow access to the area and restore the cemetery to its original condition.

The cemetery is behind the Econo Lodge Motel in Waynesburg, about 50 miles (80 kilometres) south of Pittsburgh. Between eight and 12 graves are there, with the most recent burial in 1862.

Mediation ordered after earlier court action hasn’t resolved the dispute.

Company owner Keyur Patel declined to comment, saying the firm is taking a different approach to resolving the matter.

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Information from: Observer-Reporter, http://www.observer-reporter.com