MOUNT OLIVE TOWNSHIP, N.J. (Morris County) — A Morris County woman has filed a lawsuit alleging a cemetery buried her husband in the wrong plot.
Debra Poller, of Lake Hopatcong, filed the complaint in Morris County Superior Court against Stanhope Union Cemetery, located on Continental Drive in Mount Olive Township, and unnamed defendants, claiming negligence and emotional distress related to the burial of her late husband, Alan Poller.
According to court documents, Alan Poller died Nov. 30, 2025, and was intended to be buried in a family plot purchased by his wife at the cemetery.
The lawsuit alleges that on or about Dec. 3, 2025, Debra Poller discovered her husband had been buried in plot 141 instead of plot 142, which she had purchased. The complaint states he remains buried in the incorrect location.
Poller claims the cemetery failed to properly handle the remains, confirm burial location and follow established procedures, resulting in severe emotional distress and mental anguish.
The lawsuit includes claims of negligence, negligent infliction of emotional distress and what is described in the filing as “tort of outrage,” alleging the conduct was extreme and reckless.
Poller is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, as well as legal fees and other relief.
The case was filed in the Law Division of Superior Court in Morris County and includes a demand for a jury trial.
RNJ contacted Stanhope Union Cemetery for comment, but a representative declined to comment.
