Dearborn mosque suing Detroit cemetery for breach of contract over burial spaces

DEARBORN, Mich. (FOX 2) - A mosque in metro Detroit is in a legal battle with a cemetery during the COVID-19 pandemic. After years of working together, the American Moslem Society mosque in Dearborn claims the cemetery is not honoring their contract.

"We think that is completely disgusting and uncalled for," Dawud Walid, the Executive Director of CAIR Michigan Chapter said.

Filing a lawsuit against Woodmere Cemetery in Detroit in May, longtime attorney Steven Cohen for the American Moslem Society Mosque in Dearborn - the oldest mosque in the state - says for decades the mosque and cemetery have been working together. The mosque purchased thousands of grave spaces in bulk from the cemetery and passed them along to mosque members at cost. 

"It's not just the price of the grave space, it's also the price of the opening and burial of the space for the concrete vault, for the grave marker," Cohen explained. 

Cohen says now the cemetery will not allow any burials from the mosque - even though it has paid in advance for 622 grave spaces at nearly $390,000. Cohen says new management at the cemetery is essentially only giving them two options.

"Either immediately pay $350,000 to the cemetery, or rip up a 2017 contract and enter into a new one with much higher prices for graves and burial-related products and services," Cohen said. 

They're now suing for breach of contract, conversion of property and violation of the Cemetery Prepaid Sales Act of Michigan. Cohen says the cemetery claims the mosque must pay in advance for 1,000 graves before using any of them.

"They reach the community trust. For us as Muslims, our burial rights are sacred," Walid said. 

The complaint also addresses the alleged shoddy treatment given to existing burials in their sections of the cemetery.

"There were persistent barren and muddy conditions that were very unsightly and impassable at times," Cohen said. 

FOX 2 reached out to Woodmere for comment early Friday but have not received a response yet. 

Meanwhile, these folks are now hoping the cemetery honors the contract originally agreed upon.