Overview

• On July 24 the Butlers filed a lawsuit in Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas accusing Southern Cremations & Funerals and Nix & Nix of gross negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress after receiving their son’s brain in an unmarked, leaking box.
• They allege that a white cardboard box containing Timothy Garlington’s brain began leaking odorous fluid in their car, causing direct contact with brain matter and lasting psychological harm.
• Nix & Nix insists staff never opened the box and was unaware it contained remains, citing a Pennsylvania state board investigation that cleared the funeral home of wrongdoing.
• The complaint seeks compensatory and punitive damages and demands answers on why Garlington’s brain was removed and how it was mislabeled among personal effects.
• The case highlights systemic gaps in interstate funeral logistics and regulatory oversight as grieving families press for accountability in handling human remains.