Elks Club Accuses City of Grave Grab

Fraternity bonds are forever, even in death.

The local chapter of The Elks, a social club that claims nearly one million members nationwide, has sued the city of Santa Monica over allegations that it has sold grave sites at the Woodlawn Cemetery deeded to the club 100 years ago.

As first reported by the Santa Monica Daily Press, the Elks believe that sometime after April of last year, the city began burying non-Elks members in some of the 500 sites they claim to own on Block 16 of the cemetery.

They accuse the city of keeping them from performing burials there, and say the interment of non-members has ruined the property and its "exclusive nature."

The Santa Monica Elks Lodge is seeking more than $25,000 in damages and attorneys fees. The complaint was filed April 23 in Los Angeles Superior Court.

Although the cemetery began selling the plots within the last year, Deputy City Attorney Ivan Campbell warned the club in 2009 that the city planned to reserve for the Elks only 50 sites and any available cremation niches inside the columbarium.

The Elks' suit includes an excerpt from a letter Campbell wrote April 14, 2011, "to proceed with the city's original proposal as outlined in City Attorney Marsha Moutrie's November 25, 2009 letter... the city considers Block 16 to be city property and will continue to operate the cemetery accordingly."

The city has owned and operated Woodlawn Cemetery, at 1847 14th St., since 1897. The Elks claim Block 16 was deeded to them in 1912 from R.C. Gillis and Frances L. Gillis.

Read more about the lawsuit in the Daily Press.