NAAG Pathology Labs Responds to Lawsuits

NAAG Pathology Labs, the company hired to oversee the Lubbock County Medical Examiner's Office, responded to lawsuits against them.

An investigation by the Texas Rangers began back on February 8th after accusations from former employer Senee Graves. Graves claims that the office was unnecessarily taking body parts and shipping them to NAAG "for research purposes."

Rebecca Villarreal Ortiz sued Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Andrews, Dr. Evan Matshes and NAAG, claiming that body parts were taken from her 10-year-old granddaughter during an autopsy.

According to KAMC News, NAAG admitted to giving written instructions or "suggestions" to take internal organs, and that an independent contractor, Dr. Stephen Pustilnik, performed the autopsy, not Dr. Andrews.

NAAG says that "As a licensed medical doctor, Dr. Pustilnik was obligated to exercise his own independent professional judgment and to act ethically."

Pustilnik said that “The requirements that NAAG placed on the autopsy were given in written instructions and any unethical practice clearly devolves to the signatory of those instructions."

KAMC News had obtained a copy of the instructions previously, which were signed by Dr. Andrews.