Product Liability:
Tissue Transplants
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In early 2005, a 41-year old Long Island woman underwent a bone transplant to relieve chronic pain from a car accident injury. Nearly a year later, she received a startling letter from the hospital which performed her surgery. The letter advised that the cadaver bone transplanted into her body may have been infected with various viruses such as HIV and hepatitis. This was the aftermath of a grisly scheme in which bone and tissue were illegally harvested from the dead and sold for profit.

The woman joins a score of other potential victims of the alleged “body parts” scam, which is believed to have taken place during 2004 and 2005. Authorities believe that two men conspired with funeral home personnel in order to gain access to bodies of the deceased. One of the men then removed valuable human tissue and bone from the corpses, which was subsequently shipped to facilities paying thousands of dollars per order. Tissue was obtained from the cadavers without consent from the donors or their families.

Furthermore, proper screening procedures were not followed with the recovered human tissue. Such procedures include assessing donor eligibility as well as testing for communicable illnesses such as HIV, hepatitis, and syphilis. This lack of donor screening may have inadvertently exposed hundreds of patients to life-threatening diseases.

New Jersey Company Under Investigation in Tissue Transplant Scandal

In addition to examining several funeral parlors in the New York City area, the Brooklyn district attorney's office is investigating a tissue recovery firm called Biomedical Tissue Services Ltd. of Fort Lee, New Jersey. This firm's executive director - a former dentist - is accused of harvesting human tissue illegally from cadavers and then selling the unscreened body parts to tissue processors throughout the U.S. and Canada.

On October 13, 2005, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ordered Biomedical Tissue Services to immediately cease all operations. They also ordered a recall on all human tissue products manufactured by the firm, which included bone, tendons, and skin.

Human tissue transplantation is a $1 billion-a-year industry, with over one million tissue transplants being performed annually. A single human corpse can be worth tens of thousands of dollars when harvested of its organs.

As the FDA's investigation into the tissue transplant scandal continues, the list of possible victims grows. Those affected by the scandal include not only recipients of the recalled human tissue, but also the families of the deceased who were dissected for body parts without permission.
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Have You Suffered from Infection or Illness Following a Tissue Transplant?

The illegal recovery of human donor tissue can pose serious health consequences to the transplant recipient. It can also result in severe emotional trauma for the deceased donor's family and loved ones. If you would like an evaluation of a possible tissue transplant claim, please complete the form below or call 800-231-3259. To find out about other types of cases in which the Law Offices of James Sokolove have been engaged, please visit the Types of Cases section of our website.

The information you provide will only be used in accordance with our terms and conditions. By submitting this form, you certify that you agree to our terms and conditions and want us to contact you regarding your inquiry.

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Did you have a procedure involving human bone or tissue transplant?
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Since the procedure have you tested positive for any of the following:
Syphilis? Yes No
HIV? Yes No
Hepatitis B? Yes No
Hepatitis C? Yes No
Human T Cell Lymphotropic Virus? Yes No
Bacterial Infection? Yes No
What other illnesses have you tested positive for since the procedure?
Before the procedure have you ever tested positive for this illness or illnesses? Yes No
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