Michael Burg Calls for State & Federal Regulations for Body Donation Facilities

Michael Burg Calls for State & Federal Regulations for Body Donation Facilities

On March 3, 2022, a box containing severed human heads was stolen from a vehicle parked in the Central Park neighborhood. The package was identified with the words “Science Care,” the name of the company whose services include donating human remains for medical research. This case is currently under investigation by Denver Police, and Michael Burg is calling for state and federal regulations into the body donation industry.

Michael Burg Interviewed by Westword

Michael Burg was recently interviewed by Michael Roberts, an investigative reporter with Denver’s Westword media publication. During his interview, Michael Burg stated, “It’s time for all the states and the federal government to regulate this, just like they regulate organ donation. They need to make sure that people who are vulnerable because they’ve lost a loved one are protected because if they find out something happened to their loved one’s body, they have so much guilt. That should never happen.”

Burg also noted that you cannot cut hair in Colorado without a license, but “You can open a body-donation business with no qualifications, no licensure, no supervision and no regulations in most places across the country.”

To access the Westword article, click HERE.

Science Care

Science Care was founded in 2000 and according to its website it is “The leading body donation authority in the world.” They also state, “Our commitment to the highest levels of safety and quality includes lobbying for responsible non-transplant tissue banking, meeting, or exceeding all OSHA standards, and safe blood testing.” Their website indicates they have been accredited by the American Association of Tissue Banks and licensed by the State of New York Department of Health.

According to Tricia Hammett, Science Care’s chief executive officer and program director, “Science Care is responsible for helping to establish and carry out standards for the non-transplant tissue-banking industry. Science Care links donors who choose to donate their body to science with medical researchers and educators all over the world.”

Michael Burg Calls for State and Federal Regulations

Although Ms. Hammett has stated that she and Science Care are working closely with Denver police to locate the stolen tissue and protect the community, Michael Burg says this is not enough because the body parts industry does not have enough oversight and this needs to change.

Burg Simpson’s Experience with Body Donation Facilities

Burg Simpson’s founding shareholder, Michael S. Burg, recently led the trial team that secured a $58,500, 000 judgment against the owner of the Biological Resource Center, Inc., a body donation facility located in Arizona. The multi-million dollar judgment was the largest ever recorded in Maricopa County, Arizona. At the time of the FBI investigation into that case in 2015, the black-market value of severed human heads was $500. Based on current research, Mr. Burg estimates that heads are now worth up to ten times that amount.

More on Burg Simpson’s body parts case here

About Michael S. Burg

Burg Simpson was founded in 1976 by distinguished American trial lawyer Michael Burg. Mr. Burg is an inductee in the Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame and a recipient of the Clarence Darrow Award. He has also been named to the 2016 RoundTable: America’s 50 Most Influential Trial Lawyers by The Trial Lawyer magazine; Law Week’s “Barrister’s Best” as “Best Civil Litigator”; and one of “America’s 50 Leading Trial Lawyers” by the U.S. Legal 500. Mr. Burg has also been recognized by Best Lawyers in America® and Super Lawyers®. Burg Simpson Eldredge Hersh & Jardine now has more than 75 lawyers and over 90 legal professionals. The firm is based in Colorado and has offices in Arizona, Florida, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, California, and Wyoming.

About Burg Simpson Eldredge Hersh & Jardine

As a national litigation law firm, we recognize that the role we play in the communities is just as critical as our role in the courtroom. Our ingrained culture of service and our passionate desire to make a difference in the lives of others in our communities is woven into the fabric of our firm and all of our employees nation-wide.

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