Moore v. Regents of the University of California was a Supreme Court of California case settled on July 9, 1990. Justices of the Supreme Court of California (circa May 2005). ... July 9 is the 190th day of the year (191st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 175 days remaining. ... This article is about the year. ...

John Moore underwent treatment for hairy cell leukemia at the Medical Center of the University of California at Los Angeles. Moore first visited UCLA Medical Center on October 5, 1976, after he learned that he had hairy-cell leukemia. After hospitalizing Moore and withdrawing extensive amounts of blood, bone marrow aspirate, and other bodily substances, Golde confirmed that diagnosis. At this time all defendants, including Golde, were aware that certain blood products and blood components were of great value in a number of commercial and scientific efforts and that access to a patient whose blood contained these substances would provide competitive, commercial, and scientific advantages. Hairy cell leukemia is a type of chronic lymphoid leukemia. ... The University of California, Los Angeles, popularly known as UCLA, is a public, coeducational university situated in the neighborhood of Westwood within the city of Los Angeles. ... October 5 is the 278th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (279th in Leap years). ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ...

On October 8, 1976, Golde recommended that Moore's spleen be removed. Golde informed Moore that he had reason to fear for his life, and that the proposed splenectomy operation was necessary to slow down the progress of his disease. Based upon Golde's representations, Moore signed a written consent form authorizing the splenectomy. Surgeons at UCLA Medical Center, whom the complaint does not name as defendants, removed Moore's spleen on October 20, 1976. Moore returned to the UCLA Medical Center several times between November 1976 and September 1983. He did so at Golde's direction and based upon representations that such visits were necessary and required for his health and well-being. On each of these visits Golde withdrew additional samples of blood, blood serum, skin, bone marrow aspirate, and sperm. On each occasion Moore travelled to the UCLA Medical Center from his home in Seattle because he had been told that the procedures were to be performed only there and only under Golde's direction.In fact, however, throughout the period of time that Moore was under Golde's care and treatment, the defendants were actively involved in a number of activities which they concealed from Moore. Specifically, defendants were conducting research on Moore's cells and planned to benefit financially by exploiting the cells and their exclusive access to the cells by virtue of Golde's ongoing physician-patient relationship. October 8 is the 281st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (282nd in leap years). ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... City nickname Emerald City City bird Great Blue Heron City flower Dahlia City mottos The City of Flowers The City of Goodwill City song Seattle, the Peerless City Mayor Greg Nickels County King County Area   - Total   - Land   - Water   - % water 369. ...

Sometime before August 1979, Golde established a cell line from Moore's T-lymphocytes. On January 30, 1981, the Regents applied for a patent on the cell line, listing Golde and Quan as inventors. The patent issued on March 20, 1984, naming Golde and Quan as the inventors of the cell line and the Regents as the assignee of the patent. With the Regents' assistance, Golde negotiated agreements for commercial development of the cell line and products to be derived from it. Under an agreement with Genetics Institute, Golde became a paid consultant and acquired the rights to 75,000 shares of common stock. Genetics Institute also agreed to pay Golde and the Regents at least $330,000 over three years, including a pro-rata share of Golde's salary and fringe benefits, in exchange for exclusive access to the materials and research performed on the cell line and products derived from it. On June 4, 1982, Sandoz was added to the agreement, and compensation payable to Golde and the Regents was increased by $110,000. T cells are a subset of lymphocytes that play a large role in the immune response. ... January 30 is the 30th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 20 is the 79th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (80th in Leap years). ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... June 4 is the 155th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (156th in leap years), with 210 days remaining. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Decision

The court found that Moore had no property rights to his discarded cells or any profits made from them. However, the court concluded that the research physician did have an obligation to reveal his financial interest in the materials harvested from Mr. Moore, and that Mr. Moore would be allowed to bring a claim for any injury that he sustained as a result of the physician's failure to disclose those circumstances.

References

• Rebecca Skloot; The New York Times Magazine; April 16, 2006; Taking the Least of You. The Tissue-Industrial Complex

Moore v. Regents (1990) 51 Cal. 3d 120; 271 Cal. Rptr. 146; 793 P.2d 479. Rebecca Skloot Rebecca L. Skloot (1972- ) is a freelance science writer, a contributing editor at Popular Science, and a correspondent for PBSs NOVA scienceNOW. She has written feature stories, essays, and reviews for The New York Times and New York Times Magazine, Discover Magazine, and New York Magazine. ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... April 16 is the 106th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (107th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...