{"id":11259,"date":"2019-02-05T19:26:58","date_gmt":"2019-02-05T19:26:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hammerle.com\/?p=11259"},"modified":"2023-02-14T12:45:32","modified_gmt":"2023-02-14T18:45:32","slug":"privacy-for-the-deceased-law-provides-limited-protection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hammerle.com\/legaltalk\/probate\/privacy-for-the-deceased-law-provides-limited-protection\/","title":{"rendered":"Privacy for the Deceased: Law Provides Limited Protection"},"content":{"rendered":"

Suppose your father, an intensely private person, dies as the result of a bizarre murder-for-hire scheme.<\/h2>\n

The press is everywhere, demanding family public statements, autopsy results and funeral arrangements.\u00a0\u00a0 Some fanatic even sends out a tweet soliciting protestors for your father\u2019s graveside service.<\/p>\n

You wonder what you can do to secure your father\u2019s privacy after death.<\/p>\n

The answer starts with the general principle that a person\u2019s right to privacy lapses at his death.\u00a0 Any protections have to, therefore, be affirmatively given.<\/p>\n

Texas has a few laws in your favor.<\/h3>\n

Funeral arrangements and disposition of his remains may be private.\u00a0 If your father left a signed appointment of agent and instructions, then the agent can carry those out.\u00a0 If your father did not leave such a document, then the statute determines the priority of persons to make the decisions.\u00a0 Those people may, or may not, take steps to protect your father\u2019s privacy.<\/p>\n

If you are the agent, then you may decide to have a private ceremony.\u00a0 Be aware that some places of worship welcome everyone to attend a service and will not allow you to limit those attending.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0If you hold it in a private location, such as a funeral home, then you should be able to restrict certain people from being there.\u00a0 You may need to arrange for law enforcement or security guards.<\/p>\n

If you bury him in a public cemetery, then anyone can attend.<\/h3>\n

Choose a private cemetery instead and you can keep people out.<\/h3>\n

Before the funeral, however, an inquest is required under these circumstances.\u00a0 The Justice of the Peace or the medical examiner has authority over your father\u2019s body to conduct the inquest.\u00a0 The inquest is a public proceeding.<\/p>\n

As to the idiot who solicited protestors, you do have some protections.\u00a0 Funeral picketing is a Class B misdemeanor<\/a> if done within 3 hours before or after the service.<\/p>\n

It will be difficult to protect your father\u2019s privacy through an obituary for the simple reason that anyone can write one.\u00a0 There may even be dueling obituaries, as happened when a Houston man died leaving both a girlfriend and a wife.\u00a0 They each wrote an obituary and the newspaper obligingly published them side by side in the funeral section.<\/p>\n

Crime scene and autopsy reports are generally confidential but autopsy reports are not.\u00a0 Birth certificates become public after 75 years and death certificates become public after 25 years.<\/p>\n

No one, especially a family member, is obligated to give a public statement.\u00a0 The family may want to hire a public relations firm or appoint a spokesperson to represent them.<\/p>\n

As to the internet and your father\u2019s digital life, his personal representative (appointed during the probate process<\/a>) can access but not control them.<\/p>\n

Regarding your father\u2019s estate, if he had everything funded into a trust then his assets will most likely pass without public scrutiny.\u00a0 If he left a will<\/a> or died without a will<\/a>, then there will be a public probate proceeding.<\/p>\n

Private person, public death: not a good mix.<\/h3>\n

Virginia Hammerle<\/a> is a licensed Texas attorney.\u00a0 Her practice<\/a> includes estate planning, litigation, guardianship, and probate law. \u00a0See hammerle.com for her blog and newsletter sign-up.\u00a0 This column does not constitute legal advice.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Suppose your father, an intensely private person, dies as the result of a bizarre murder-for-hire scheme. The press is everywhere, demanding family public statements, autopsy results and funeral arrangements.\u00a0\u00a0 Some fanatic even sends out a tweet soliciting protestors for your father\u2019s graveside service. You wonder what you can do to secure your father\u2019s privacy after […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":11740,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1225],"tags":[857,859],"class_list":{"0":"post-11259","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-probate","8":"tag-funerals","9":"tag-texas-laws"},"yoast_head":"\nPrivacy for the Deceased: Law Provides Limited Protection - Hammerle Morris Law Firm<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Losing a loved one is hard. Texas has a few laws that favor Privacy for the Deceased, read Virginia's blog for more information. 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