Judge denies bid to stop wife’s funeral by former Duane Moris partner
Partners
Judge denies bid by former Duane Morris partner to stop his wife’s funeral
November 21, 2024, 10:51 am CST
A Chicago judge has denied a former Duane Morris partner’s emergency motion to stop his deceased wife’s parents from holding her funeral, so that he can obtain her remains. (Image from Shutterstock)
A Chicago judge on Wednesday denied a former Duane Morris partner’s emergency motion to stop his deceased wife’s parents from holding her funeral, so that he can obtain her remains.
Judge Eve M. Reilly of Cook County, Illinois, denied lawyer Adam P. Beckerink’s request to preserve the remains of his wife, 36-year-old Caitlin Tracey, pending appeal.
Tracey was found dead at the bottom of a stairwell in Beckerink’s South Loop residential building on Oct. 27. Her foot had been severed.
The Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun-Times and Fox 32 Chicago have coverage of Reilly’s Nov. 20 order.
Beckerink was ousted as a partner at Duane Morris after Tracey’s parents sought her remains in court filings alleging that he had physically abused their daughter. The parents sought to enforce the order in Cook County after a judge in Berrien County granted their request on Nov. 12. He said he had jurisdiction as Tracey had been a resident of New Buffalo at the time she died. He has not been accused of any crime in relation to his wife’s demise.
The two had been married for six months at the time Tracey died. Tracey moved to vacate the protection order in November 2023. The protection order was dismissed in November 2023 when Tracey moved to vacate it.
Another lawyer for Beckerink, Telly Stefaneas, told Reilly in a hearing Wednesday that his client planned to appeal the Michigan decision awarding the remains to Tracey’s parents, Andrew and Monica Tracey, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Reilly noted in her order Wednesday that it has been three weeks since Tracey’s death, and the medical examiner’s office has indicated that it could not keep her body beyond 30 days.
“Caitlin is a human being who died under horrible circumstances,” Reilly wrote. “If Caitlin’s remains could be stored somewhere else for the duration an appeal, this has not been filed and no one has informed court of that fact.” Andrew Cunniff is the lawyer for Andrew Tracey and Monica Tracey. In a statement, Cunniff stated that Tracey’s parents are grateful for Reilly’s decision. “No parent should have to bury a child, let alone fight a court battle to do so. Thankfully, Caitlin is staying with her family, where she belongs.
