State Revokes Royal Funeral Home License

It looks like it might be the end for a long time Battle Creek business.  This week, the State of Michigan officially revoked the license of Royal Funeral Home at 281 Upton Avenue.

The Dept. of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) and the Office of the Attorney General took the final action against owner Rick Royal for multiple violations of the Prepaid Funeral and Cemetery Sales Act (Prepaid Act) and related violations of the Occupational Code, including fraud, deceit, or dishonesty and incompetence in the practice of mortuary science. LARA revoked Royal’s – and its manager’s – mortuary science licenses, effective April 16, 2020.

This followed previous action, taken last December, revoking Royal’s Prepaid Act registration based on the same conduct. Despite an extension of the time frame originally contemplated in that Stipulation and Final Order, Royal failed to comply with its provision ordering payment of restitution to prepaid contract holders. Specifically, to date, Royal failed to pay approximately $78,000 towards the more than $194,000 in ordered restitution. As a result, the originally-imposed fines of $5,000 in each disciplinary action were increased to $25,000, and applications for relicensure, or reinstatement will be denied.

Royal Funeral Home has been closed since May 28^th, 2019.  The phone at the property has been disconnected.