Silver Cliff woman suing former coroner Brian Cotter in small claims court
Celeste Springer
PUEBLO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — A Silver Cliff woman is suing Brian Cotter in small claims court, according to records obtained by 13 Investigates.
The lawsuit is for $3,105, plus court costs. The woman says she is suing because she prepaid for cremation services and wants her money back.
Deborah ‘Debby’ Paladay tells 13 Investigates her family had trusted Davis Mortuary for 48 years.
Paladay explained that they used the Cotters’ services for her mother, father, brother, previous husbands, and daughter. She described all of her family members as the most outstanding people, while noting that they deserve better.
“We had trusted Davis Mortuary for so long. I also just went ahead and did pre-paid cremation,” explained Debby Paladay.
Paladay said that she wants her money back, so the financial burden doesn’t fall on her kids.
“I’ve got to get that money back or my kids are going to be stuck with that expense whenever I go,” shared Paladay. “When this all happened, I just felt like that trust was so violated. And, I wanted to get my 3,000 back because I’m retired. I don’t have a ton of money.”
She’s encouraging others to fight for their money back.
“Things like this shouldn’t have ever happened. And because they did, people got to step up and stand up for themselves,” stated Paladay.
We also reached out to the Division of Insurance (DOI) to see what they’d recommend for other families who may be in a similar situation.
DOI has initiated an inquiry that will assess potential impacts to pre-need funeral contracts that may be related to the Davis Mortuary, and we are encouraging Coloradans to submit requests for assistance related to pre-need funeral contracts through a form on our website: https://doi.colorado.gov/information-regarding-the-davis-mortuary
At this time, DOI’s investigation is ongoing, and we are not able to share more information as ongoing investigations are confidential.
-A Division of Insurance spokesperson
Cotter is at the center of a Pueblo County controversy and investigation. He was the Pueblo County coroner, but also owned his own funeral home business.
Back in August, inspectors alleged that they noted a smell of decomposition in his funeral home, Davis Mortuary. They claimed that there was a door hidden behind a display, and when they removed it, they allegedly found remains in various states of decomposition.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigations (CBI) said that there were 24 bodies found, and it’s believed that they were all brought to the funeral home between 2010 and 2012. As of the last update from the CBI in early October, six of the bodies have been identified.
As of this publication, no criminal charges have been filed against Brian Cotter, or funeral home co-owner Chris Cotter. However, Brian Cotter did step down from his position as county coroner.
The CBI says that they want to identify all of the bodies before the district attorney’s office evaluates potential charges.
“As we’ve indicated from the very beginning, this is a slow and tedious process,” said District Attorney Kala Beauvais on Oct. 1. “I am determined to get this case right. The filing of charges will be done right the first time.”
To read all of our updates on the Davis Mortuary case, click here.