5 Iowans file lawsuits over alleged use of stolen, improper body parts

FOREST CITY, Iowa Five Iowans are among scores of people who have filed federal lawsuits against firms involved in the harvest or distribution of human tissue.
The lawsuits stem from a scandal that broke last fall on the East Coast and allegedly started with stolen body parts in a New York-area funeral home.

Malinda Andreasen, of Forest City is one of them. She had pieces of someone else’s bone placed in her neck during surgery, then received a letter in February telling her that her transplant might have included stolen tissue. The letter also instructed her to be tested for several diseases because the tissue may not have been properly screened.

Andreasen says she’s outraged by what’s occurred and says it is totally beyond her imagination.

Federal officials have estimated about 25-thousand units of stolen bone, skin and other tissue were distributed.

Andreasen is suing Biomedical Tissue Services of New Jersey and the company’s leader, Michael Mastromarino, who is also facing criminal charges.