Batesville Casket Company Receives Favorable Ruling Denying Plaintiff's Request for Appeal in Antitrust Lawsuit

BATESVILLE, Ind., June 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has denied a petition by the Funeral Consumers Alliance (FCA) to appeal a federal district court order in its antitrust lawsuit against Batesville Casket Company, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Hillenbrand, Inc. (NYSE: HI), and three of its funeral home customers.

The FCA, a self-styled consumer advocacy group, had sought class certification in a lawsuit alleging that Batesville Casket Company and its three named customers had violated antitrust laws. A U.S. District judge in the Southern District of Texas denied certification on March 26, 2009, and the appellate court denied the subsequent petition for appeal on June 19, 2009. The FCA plaintiffs now have the option of dismissing their case or proceeding with individual claims.

"It is very gratifying to receive the favorable ruling of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which has denied the appeal request of the plaintiffs in this case," said Kenneth A. Camp, Hillenbrand's president and chief executive officer. "From the beginning, we believed the plaintiffs' allegations were baseless and we aggressively defended the fair and ethical practice of selling our products only through licensed funeral homes, which has been a cornerstone of our business model for more than 100 years."

For further information and background on these cases, please refer to Hillenbrand's most recent SEC Form 10-Q and to the rulings posted on our Web site, http://www.hillenbrandinc.com.

ABOUT HILLENBRAND, INC. Hillenbrand, Inc. (www.HillenbrandInc.com) is the holding company for Batesville Casket Company, a leader in the North American death care industry through the sale of funeral services products, including burial caskets, cremation caskets, containers and urns, selection room display fixturing and other personalization and memorialization products. HI-INC-C

SOURCE Hillenbrand, Inc.

Released June 29, 2009