Community Corner

State Supreme Court Ponders Burial Property Rights

The Connecticut Supreme Court is hearing a case that could have long-term ramifications on the limits of personal property.

How much freedom do you have on your own property? The Connecticut Supreme Court is hearing a case on whether someone can be buried on their private land.

Depending on how the court rules, an 82-year-old woman may have to dig up the remains of her husband, who passed away eight years ago.

According to the Associated Press, Elise Piquet was in a bind in 2004. Her husband just passed away and the cemeteries in Chester, a small town in Middlesex County, were full. She instead had her husband buried on her 11-acre property.

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It was after her husband died that the problems began. The Associated Press said the town’s zoning board issued a cease and desist letter because there was no local law permitting a burial on one’s property. She refused to comply with the town's order.  


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