Suit Alleges Tissue Illegally Harvested From Corpses and Untested for Disease

PRNewswire Article

MIAMI, March 15 /PRNewswire/ -- The Ferraro Law Firm, one of the nation's largest claimants' litigation firms, today announced that it has filed suit in connection with illegally harvested and unscreened body parts used in transplant surgery.  The suit, filed in Alachua County, FL, is on behalf of Ralph Steadman of Los Angeles, CA, who allegedly received illegally harvested and untested tissue as part of routine dental surgery in Eugene, Oregon. Defendants in the case include allograft (graphs of human tissue) distributor Tutogen Medical, Inc. and the now defunct Biomedical Tissue Services (BTS), along with two of its founders.

On June 14, 2005, Mr. Steadman underwent what should have been routine dental surgery, at which time he received a Tutogen tissue implant in his mouth.  In December of 2005, less than 6 months later, he received a letter from his doctor informing him that the tissue used in his surgery was processed and packaged by Tutogen.  He was also informed that the parts were part of a recent recall by Tutogen because they were potentially tainted with numerous diseases.

"Ralph will have to be tested every three months for the most serious diseases known to mankind," stated founding partner of The Ferraro Law Firm James L. Ferraro.  "Could you imagine living every day knowing any day you could become positive for HIV, Syphilis, or Hepatitis because of a routine dental procedure?"

Two of the defendants, Michael Mastromarino and Joseph Nicelli of BTS, were recently charged in State Supreme Court in Brooklyn, N.Y., for operating a corrupt $4.6 million enterprise to harvest human tissue from funeral homes and sell it for use in transplants and research.  Hospitals nationwide have reported receipt of the illegally harvested and potentially dangerous tissue. The Ferraro Law Firm believes that due to poor industry regulations, the problem may extend far beyond what has been included in the recent BTS case. Anyone who has received a tissue transplant or bone graft and has been inexplicably diagnosed with Hepatitis, HIV, Syphilis or other infectious disease should take the necessary steps to protect their legal rights.  The Ferraro Law Firm is also representing family members of those whose bodies were unlawfully stolen and harvested.

Implant cases in Florida are being represented by The Ferraro Law Firm and Motley Rice of Mount Pleasant, S.C.

About The Ferraro Law Firm

The Ferraro Law Firm is one of the nation's largest plaintiffs' litigation firms. The Ferraro Law Firm's attorneys gained global recognition for their pioneering work on behalf of asbestos victims and countless others whose lives have been affected by exposure to toxic chemicals.  The Ferraro Law Firm's attorneys continue to seek justice in areas including catastrophic injury, environmental hazards and contamination, medical negligence and medical device defects, occupational disease and toxic torts, transportation disasters and defects, and family law.  For more information on The Ferraro Law Firm, call 1-800-275-3332 or visit http://www.ferrarolaw.com .

     Media Contact:
     James L. Ferraro
     The Ferraro Law Firm
     305-375-0111-Phone
     jlf@ferrarolaw.com

SOURCE The Ferraro Law Firm
Web Site: http://www.ferrarolaw.com