Even in death . . . .

It's been a while since I've been here and posted anything but I just wanted to ask a question.

On 11/28 my nephew, the one who lives with his dad at our parent's house, committed suicide. He hung himself in our parent's back yard so we have been dealing with that. My brother and his 1st ex wife didn't get along at all. So much so until my nephew had 2 services. One by my brother and one by his mom. I mean, they couldn't even come together long enough to just have one funeral. My brother had made the decision to have him cremated and just have a memorial service whereas his mom wanted him to have a viewing. From what I was told my nephew had told his dad that he didn't want a viewing for people to come look at him in a box. That's why my brother decided to have him cremated. But here's the think. He and his first wife didn't speak and his second wife blocked him from calling her at all. On the day of the incident we were discussing with him as far as insurance and what not. My brother had a $15000 policy on him, which in today's world isn't much to bury anyone. A day or so later we found out that my nephew's mom had paid for everything, cremation and all. And she was planning to have a viewing for him in a casket. My brother was against that so he planned a memorial service for our side of the family the following Sat and his mom planned the viewing the next Sunday for her family. From what we were told by someone at the funeral home she dressed him up in a suit and only about 5 people showed up. My nephew was not a suit wearing person. He didn't own any at all. And my nephew lived with my brother for at least the past 15+ years. He didn't really get along with his mom or her side of the family.

Anyway, earlier this week the funeral home did the cremation, and my brother bought a few small urns to divide his ashes up into to give to his mom, his maternal grandmother, he was going to keep one, and I think he was going to sprinkle some of them at my parent's house. We just got word that his mom went to the funeral home today and picked up ALL his ashes. I guess technically since she paid for everything she has a right to all the ashes but given that he didn't live with her for a number of years and he really didn't care for his mother you would think she would at least share some of the ashes with my brother. Given that my brother did have a little insurance policy on him I don't think that check has come in yet so what is his recourse at this point? In order to get some of the ashes would he have to sue his ex-wife for them or what? Or does he just chalk this up as a loss since he didn't pay for anything? I hate to see people fighting over the death of a loved one namely a child but this is the way these two have been dealing with each other since they got divorced.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated at this time.