Sanford Health is being sued by Monarch Waste Technologies, a medical waste disposal company, after a human torso was found at Monarch’s facility in Fargo, North Dakota.
The torso was discovered in a plastic container in January 2023. Monarch staff had been investigating the source of a “rotten and putrid smell” when they found the torso. The identity of the body and how it ended up at the facility is still unknown.
The lawsuit alleges that Sanford Health breached its contract with Monarch by delivering the torso to the facility. Monarch also claims that Sanford Health removed waste from the facility without permission.
Monarch Waste Technologies co-founder David Cardenas said that his company does not deal with human body parts in any capacity. “It’s in our protocols, in our mission statement, everything,” he said. “We do not take cadavers, bodies of this type, nor do we take fetus remains. It is written in our contract and our protocols over and over.”
It is not yet known how much money Monarch Waste Technologies is seeking in the lawsuit.
The case is being heard in Cass County District Court in Fargo.