Situation
The owners of 16 Wisconsin cemeteries and a granite monuments company found a strategic buyer in NYSE-traded StoneMor Partners. However, the unusual ownership structure of cemetery associations, established in the 1880s by Wisconsin statute, created challenges in selling six of the cemeteries.
Result
Husch Blackwell attorneys forged an agreement for StoneMor to buy the monuments company and the cemeteries, including real estate, personal property, contract rights and rights to manage the cemetery trust accounts. Transfer of real property for the six owned by cemetery associations was placed on a separate timeline to expedite the proceedings.
Attorney Team Members: Thomas Godar, Paul Karch, Phillip Bower, Daniel Geraghty and Eric Hansch