An American Cryogenics firm is counter-suing the son of a deceased scientist after a communication debacle resulted in the decapitation of the cadaver.
A recent case in America has highlighted the importance of adhering to the wishes expressed in a Will and the severe consequences that can arise from deviations.
Lifelong scientist and cryonics expert, Lawrence Pilgeram, left a clear wish in his Will expressing a desire to be cryogenically frozen until such a time that science could revive him.
During his life, Mr Pilgeram had organised for the preservation of his body after his death and had agreed to pay Alcor Life Extension Foundation $120,000.
Instead of a traditional burial or cremation, his entire body was set to be plunged into -196 degree temperatures and frozen indefinitely.
Following Lawrence Pilgeram’s death in April 2015 of a cardiac arrest, his body should have been released to Alcor for full body cryogenic suspension.
Unfortunately, something contradicted these express wishes and Mr Pilgeram’s son, Kurt, received the ashes of his father through the post in April.
Upon first inspection, Kurt Pilgeram was bewildered by the urn as he was aware of his father’s wishes of being frozen in time.
However, feelings of confusion soon transformed into distraught anger after reading the accompanying paperwork and discovering the remains omitted his father’s head which was removed by Alcor and cryogenically frozen.
Following the revelation, Kurt initiated a legal battle with Alcor, run by British born Doctor Max More, demanding $1 million to compensate for damages and emotional distress.
However, Alcor have since countersued, claiming Kurt and the other family members transpired to hide the Will and prevent the express wishes of their father from being carried out.
Firstly, Alcor accuse the family of withholding the Will and hiding a codicil which stated that any family member preventing the body from entering cryopreservation would be disinherited and entitled to no more than a single US dollar.
The largest cryogenics company in the world also argued that the family delayed any notifications to Alcor following the death of their father.
This communication was vital as the process requires the body being placed on ice the moment the deceased is officially declared dead. However, Mr Pilgeram’s body remained in the hospital morgue, at a temperature of 30 degrees Fahrenheit for three days, thus compromising the alleged success of the cryogenic stasis and resulting in the preservation of the head alone.
The company claim the son should be entitled to no more than the single dollar outlined in the Wills codicil. As it stands, Mr Pilgeram officially died intestate and the sons shared an equal stake of around $16 million.
The firm also claim the family are withholding $80,000 worth of life insurance promised to them to complete the cryogenic suspension process.
Kurt Pilgeram’s official legal complaint stated:
“Kurt has suffered extreme emotional distress as a result of Alcor’s accusations and has been injured as alleged in an amount in excess of $1 million.
“Alcor undertook such actions maliciously and oppressively, and with the intent to cause injury.
“There is little, if any, hope of bringing his head ‘back to life’ under the circumstances here.”
Diane Cafferata, representative for Alcor, commented:
“He (Mr Pilgeram) not only signed up for his remains to be preserved by Alcor, but he also signed a codicil to his will that said that if family member challenged his wish to be cryo-preserved, they would be disinherited and only receive a dollar.
“After Pilgeram died in 2015, his son hid this codicil and all his father’s testamentary documents from the probate court and falsely claimed his father died intestate.
“He also blocked Alcor’s right to receive the $80,000 of life insurance money that Dr. Pilgeram had set aside to fund his preservation.
“We don’t take a lot of things with us in death, but we have a pretty solid rule in California that you get to say what happens to your body.
“This is not a light-hearted thing that people do. They’re very serious about it when they sign up, and people need to believe that Alcor will fight for them.”
Alcor currently preserve 164 people with 122 males and 42 females opting for this alternative form of futuristic burial. As science-fiction and reality blur, it seems as though these unique issues could become more popular in the future.
Have you ever experienced Will instructions of codicils like this? Will alternative forms of preserving a body after death become a more prominent issue in the future?
