Monk’s Casket Case

A federal court will decide whether an order of Benedictine monks can make and sell caskets without a state license.  The monks of St. Joseph Abbey in St. Tammany Parish sued Louisiana regulators in August, charging the Louisiana Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors is attempting to maintain a casket cartel through regulation dominated by the funeral industry.

New Orleans CityBusiness reports the case will head to trial June 6 after U.S. District Judge Stanwood Duval on Monday denied the board's motion to dismiss the case.