Calvert County Delegation:

On January 10, 2012, my staff participated in the meeting of creditors of Badtec, Inc.  Approximately 80 people attended, including Daniel Martin and his father, George “Bill” Martin, along with their counsel. The Martins agreed to provide an accounting on the cemetery’s accounts, including the pre-need and perpetual care trust funds. The Martins also said that the cemetery’s records exist, are available and will turn them over to the Trustee as directed by the U. S. Attorney.

The Trustee allotted time for creditors to ask questions. The questions related to whether they would be compensated from the estate if they had to pay another contractor to perform a burial; how they would make arrangements to be buried; and what was the status of their rights to goods and services under contracts made with the cemetery. The Office of Cemetery Oversight (OCO) advised creditors what steps they needed to take during the course of the bankruptcy proceedings if a burial needed to occur at the cemetery.

Due to time constraints, a second Meeting of Creditors of Badtec, Inc., d/b/a Southern Memorial Gardens will be held on Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 3:00 p.m. at 6305 Ivy Lane, Sixth Floor, Greenbelt, Maryland 20770. Any consumers who have not received written notification of the Meeting of Creditors should contact the Trustee appointed by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Gary A. Rosen, Esq., by mail at One Church Street, Suite 802, Rockville, Maryland 20850 or by phone at (301) 251-0202.

Friday morning, the Office sought and obtained a Permanent Order from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maryland to allow independent contractors to continue to perform burials in Southern Memorial Gardens for pre-need contracts entered into prior to August 12, 2011.

OCO continues to monitor the bankruptcy proceedings and work with legal experts to assess the rights of Pre-need and Perpetual Care Trust Fund holders. OCO is committed to working with all the necessary parties, including elected officials, local government and the Calvert County courts, to protect consumers who have purchased burial plots.  As information becomes available, it will be forwarded to you and posted to the OCO website.

Please call me  or Jill Porter if you have any questions.  Thank you.

Alexander M. Sanchez, Secretary
Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation