<p>The city of Chicago is taking the owners of <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/grave-injustice" >South Chicago Chapel</a> to court for a litany of alleged building code violations — including the failure to keep buildings “clean, sanitary, and safe” after the recent discovery of 56 decomposing bodies on the property.</p><p>“The stench was overwhelming and could be smelled outside the building,” the complaint, filed Friday in Cook County Circuit Court, states. “There were swarms of flies at / near / on these bodies. There were numerous rats at / near / on these bodies. This is an immensely unsanitary situation.”</p><p>The city is asking a judge to issue a fine of $11,500 per day for every day the violations are not corrected.<b> </b>It’s unclear whether that means the owners could be ordered to clean up an area that some community members want to see deemed a crime scene.</p><p>The complaint stops short of requesting a complete demolition or condemnation of the building, though a judge should order that outcome “if necessary,” the complaint reads.</p><p>The complaint names funeral home owners Clark and Johanna Morgan, two of their business entities, and a business entity that previously owned the building. Acting on a tip in early August, a crew of city and state agencies searched the building to discover dozens of bodies in various states of decomposition and vermin infestation at the business, which was created in 2022.</p><p>The list of 23 alleged violations span from the gruesome, unsanitary conditions discovered in the search, to more mundane failures that include not having a single fire alarm or carbon monoxide detector throughout the building, or a construction permit for renovations.</p><p>The city’s Buildings Department declined to comment on the litigation. Representatives for defendants named in the case did not immediately respond to a request for comment.</p><p>The housing complaint isn’t likely to silence calls for criminal charges against the Morgans. A Texas woman has already launched a <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/chicago/2026/08/11/south-chicago-chapel-funeral-home-bodies-mishandled-class-action-lawsuit" >potential class-action lawsuit</a> against the South Deering funeral home.</p><p>Over the weekend, <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/2026/08/30/south-chicago-chapel-decomposing-bodies-funeral-home-vigil-families" >families demanding answers </a>about what happened and how the owners will be held accountable asked the city to secure the area against trespassers or anyone going inside, including the owners.</p><p>A bright orange sign ordered the building closed, but it was placed out of sight until family members moved it to the front door Sunday evening.</p><p>The complaint comes after years of apparent inaction by the Buildings Department at 2939 E. 95th St., where South Chicago Chapel operated.</p><p>City records show that, after years of annual, failed inspections at the property, the buildings department failed to inspect it for four years from 2022 to 2026, covering the entire time the Morgans ran their business there.</p><p>After city officials searched the funeral home, a Buildings Department employee listed out potential violations that should be “expedited and amended” as part of an existing case, perhaps referring to the new complaint, which had yet to be filed at the time.</p><p>Those potential violations listed in the report include: "deplorable conditions; rodent infestation; fly infestation; inadequate ventilation; unsanitary conditions; and the construction of or use of the second floor without appropriate plans and permits."</p>
IUSTITIA.BG – Investigations 2009-2026 2026-08-31 22:16:43
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