Alabama court rejects appeal of man with wife buried in yard

Friday, October 11, 2013

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The Alabama Supreme Court is rejecting the appeal of an elderly north Alabama man who filed to suit to keep the grave of his late wife in the front yard of the home they shared for decades.

The justices issued a brief order today denying the appeal of James Davis, who buried wife Patsy Davis in their front yard in Stevenson following her death in 2009.

City attorney Parker Edmiston says work to remove the body could begin next week. He says the remains will be placed in a proper cemetery.

Davis says he was abiding by his wife's wishes when he buried her outside their home in 2009, yet the city sued to move the body.

A county judge ordered Davis to disinter his wife, and appeals courts agreed.