PORTLAND (AP) – A Maryland research laboratory that is being sued by Maine families for its brain collection practices is offering to return brains to surviving relatives.

A lawyer for the Stanley Medical Research Institute of Bethesda, Md., made the offer in a letter to attorneys who represent the families that filed lawsuits in Maine. The institute is accused of collecting the brains for research without proper consent.

The Aug. 11 letter by Thomas Laprade, a Portland lawyer who represents the institute, also reiterates the lab’s position that it did nothing wrong in accepting the brains.

“This offer has nothing to do with attempts to resolve the disputes in these cases, nor should this offer be viewed as an admission of any sort,” the letter says.

The institute’s brain collection program has come under scrutiny in Maine after questions were raised about the tactics used in collecting brains for research. Efforts to retrieve brains at the state medical examiner’s office for the Stanley Institute spurred a number of lawsuits and federal and state investigations.

Most of the lawsuits revolve around phone calls placed to the families in the hours after their loved ones died. The caller, Matthew Cyr of Bucksport, was paid $1,000 to $2,000 for each brain he sent to the lab.

Some of the families allege that they were asked to donate only a sample of brain tissue, not the entire brain, and others say they never even spoke to Cyr. In court documents, Cyr has denied wrongdoing.

It is not yet known whether any of the affected families will take the Stanley Institute up on its offer.

Steven Silin, a Lewiston lawyer who represents five Maine families, said he has responded to the letter seeking more details about the offer. The two-page letter does not say anything about the condition of the brains or where they are being kept.

“How am I going to approach my client about such a delicate, sensitive and painful offer and not have any specifics?” Silin said. “I hope it’s not the case, but I can’t help but think it was an offer made by the lawyers, and not by the institution.”

Frank Kelley, whose daughter’s brain was sent to the Stanley Institute, expressed disgust at the offer. Kelley, who lives in Buzzards Bay, Mass., said his family is not interested in getting the brain back.

“My daughter’s been dead five years. I mean, what are we supposed to do with the brain?” Kelley asked.

Information from: Portland Press Herald, http://www.pressherald.com

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