A synopsis of the
Mack Moore and Roseborough
Cases: shown below are some important facts about the
Mack Moore and Roseborough cases, two land mark decisions
affecting the memorial industry.
It was decided by the Mack Moore Cases and
reaffirmed by the Roseborough Case that cemeteries could not
tie the sale of memorials to their installation and that
outside memorial dealers and installers are permitted to
perform foundation and installation work subject to
reasonable cemetery rules, regulations and specifications.?
Moore vs Jas Matthews & Col., 550 F.2d 1107 (9th Circ.>1977)
called Moore II
Cemeteries' exclusive unstallation rule constitued an
illegal tie-in, which violated anti-trust laws.
Moore vs Jas Matthews & Col., NOS.80-3180 & 80-3217 (9th
Circ.>July 29, 1982) called Moore III
Cemeteries' exclusive unstallation rule constitued an
illegal tie-in, prohibited by the Sherman Anti-Trust Act.
In Moore III the 9th Circuit Court said that it had already
decided in Moore II that the cemeteries exclusive rule
constituted an illegal tie-in which violated the anti-trust
laws and there was no reason to reconsider itsd 1977
decision. In the 1977 decision Moore II the 9th Circuit
reversed the trial court which had ruled that the exclusive
rule was not a tie-in because sale of land and lot and
installation services were part of a single package. Even if
they were separate products the exclusive rule was necessary
to protect the cemeteries' quality and image. This assertion
by cemeteries was reversed by the courts.
Roseborough Monument Co. vs the Memorial Park Association ,
666 F.2d 1130 (8th Circ. 1981 Roseborough II, cert Denied,
457 U.S. 1111 1982)
In 1981 the 8th Circuit Court ruled that the exclsuive
installation rules used by the 11 St. Louis area cemeteries
violate Federal Anti-Trust Laws. The St. Louis decision, in
effect, permitted anyone to perform foundations and
installations subject to reasonable rules, regulations and
specifications. On 6/7/82, the Supreme Court denied a
petition for review and thereby confirmed the earlier
decision. There was a subsequent appeal in the 8th Circuit
Court (Nos 83-1498 and 83-2351 submitted Nov. 18, 1983,
filed May 22, 1984 that related to damages but did not
change the basic ruling of the previous decision.
In Conclusion:
While the Mack Moore case specifically denied cemeteries the
right to exclusive installation, the Roseborough Case
reaffirmed this but added that cemeteries did have the right
to establish reasonable rules, regulations and
specifications for anyone to perform that work. Roseborough
also allowed cemeteries to establish performance bonds to
ensure compliance with the cemeteries installation
specifications. Also, cemeteries were allowed to create an
inspection fee based on actual labor costs to inspect the
finished work produced by the third party installer.
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