Body donations suspended

A temporary halt will be placed on UCLA’s acceptance of
donated bodies until an investigation into the alleged illegal sale
of cadaver parts from the UCLA Medical Center is completed, the
university announced Tuesday.

During a Superior Court hearing Tuesday between UCLA
representatives and attorneys representing donor families,
university attorney Louis Marlin said UCLA will no longer accept
donor bodies and will hold already-donated bodies in storage until
the investigation finishes.

The temporary restraining order was issued by Los Angeles
Superior Court Commissioner Bruce Mitchell.

Under the court order, cadavers already in use in the gross
anatomy lab will still be available for the purposes of teaching
medical students until the school year terminates.

“We truly appreciate the court’s acknowledgement of
our educational mission,” said Gerald Levey, vice chancellor
of UCLA Medical Sciences and dean of the David Geffen School of
Medicine, in a statement released soon after the temporary halt was
decided.

Marlin said the decision was made by the high-ranking medical
center and campus officials as the best option to preserve the
quality of UCLA’s medical education program, faced with a
continuing investigation of the illegal sale of body parts by
employees of the center.

“The decision was felt to be necessary to show the
efficacy of UCLA’s medical education program, its commitment
to resolve problems that exist (and) address issues that have been
raised,” Marlin said.

The halt was issued amid a lawsuit filed Monday against the
university, which charges the school of mishandling the ashes of
donated bodies, on behalf of donor families. The lawsuit sought a
preliminary injunction, asking the court to step in and ensure the
UCLA Willed Body Program is run properly.

Raymond Boucher, an attorney representing the families, said he
was surprised and pleased by the decision to temporarily halt the
program.

“You’re dealing with a program with a troubled past
and a troubled present,” he said.

Marlin said he hopes both sides can reach an agreement regarding
injunctive relief.

“We’re confident we’ll work with the opposing
counsel to make terms of the injunction that will be acceptable to
both sides,” Marlin said.

The lawsuit alleges that university officials were negligent in
allowing the body parts to be sold illegally. Attorneys
representing donor families plan to seek class-action status.

Boucher was the lead attorney in a 1996 lawsuit against the
university, alleging that the Willed Body Program handled donated
bodies “without dignity.” That suit claimed the bodies
were mixed with medical waste and that cremated remains were
disposed of improperly. Two plaintiffs from that case are in the
most recent suit.

Boucher added that the new suit is aimed at providing peace of
mind to family members of donors, and it will seek compensation for
those who will not be able to resolve what happened to their loved
ones.

Tuesday’s decision presents yet another strain on the
Willed Body Program, which has been entangled in controversy in
recent days as an investigation into the alleged illegal sale of
body parts continues.

University police arrested Henry Reid, 54, the director of the
program, on Saturday and charged him with grand theft. An alleged
middleman, Ernest Nelson, 46, was also arrested this past weekend
on the charges of receiving stolen body parts. According to a Los
Angeles Times report, Nelson allegedly resold the body parts to
large corporations, including pharmaceutical companies.

There have been no new developments on the charges against Reid
and Nelson, said Nancy Greenstein, UCPD director of police
community services.

Greenstein also said Reid is expected to be arraigned March 30
and Nelson, who is not a UCLA employee, on May 7, but added that
the dates are tentative and may be changed. No trial dates for
either defendant have been set.

Reid and Nelson were released from jail after posting $20,000
and $30,000 bail, respectively.

Reid and a second unnamed UCLA employee were placed on leave
more than a week ago.

Nelson has contested the university’s allegations and has
said UCLA officials were fully aware of the fact that he cut up
close to 800 donated bodies.

An internal university investigation, sparked by Nelson’s
attorney that demanded payment for body parts Nelson was forced to
return to the Medical Center, led to the current criminal
investigation. At the end of the university’s inquiry, Reid
and the unnamed employee were placed on administrative leave.

Both Marlin and the university have declined to comment on the
unnamed employee who has yet to be noticeably mentioned in the
case.

A university spokeswoman said the identity of this employee
would not be made public unless an arrest was made. The university
routinely does not comment on personnel issues.

Marlin also emphasized that the decision to halt the Willed Body
Program was not a reaction to the current lawsuit, but was based on
what the university had uncovered.

With reports from Bruin wire services.