The Arizona Court of Appeals has reinstated the full $58.9 million judgment against the former owner of Biological Resource Center for selling donated bodies for profit on the black market, finding the trial court erred in reducing the jury’s punitive damages.
In 2019, a jury awarded $8.5 million in compensatory damages and $50 million in punitive damages to a group of 10 plaintiffs, who represent family members who donated their bodies to BRC, which appeared to be a legitimate facility participating in medical advancement. The families sued BRC’s founder, Stephen Gore, for various torts after the bodies were cut up and sold to buyers all over the world, according to the appellate court’s opinion filed Tuesday.
