Legal Services

Steelgate specializes in the collection and preservation of biomedical evidence (blood samples, pathology slides, tissue, medical devices, etc.) in support of law firms engaged in product liability litigation involving medical devices, women’s healthcare, medical malpractice and consumer products. Steelgate operates a secure, temperature-controlled facility that is under 24/7/365 surveillance and supported by multi-layered redundant systems (freezers, refrigerators, generators, H.V.A.C. and off-site, cloud-based data storage).

Steelgate has built its reputation on being an exceedingly competent, professional and thoughtful objective third party working for the confidential benefit of its clients, leveraging its decades of experience to provide an unbiased review of litigation-related Case Management Orders pertaining to biomedical evidence retrieval and preservation. Steelgate provides its clients with expert consultation on the development of preservation protocols, conducting independent and collaborative due diligence with nationally recognized subject matter experts who specialize in preserving material specific to the pending litigation. Working directly with litigation steering committees, Steelgate has provided input into the creation of litigation-specific preservation orders, including, but not limited to, retrieval protocols, preservation documentation (preservation letters, patient releases, specimen packaging instructions, chains-of-custody, laboratory handling checklists), plaintiff/defense counsel communication protocols, and customized, litigation-specific Standard Operating Procedures.

Steelgate manages the complete lifecycle of biomedical specimen retrieval, storage and preservation that incorporates multi-party communication (attorneys, patients, hospitals, laboratories, physicians). This includes the entry of corresponding detailed notes of each encounter into Steelgate’s proprietary database - logistics coordination and tracking (FedEx, DHL, UPS, specialty couriers), chain-of-custody documentation and hi-resolution photography of the received material. Steelgate maintains a precision inventory database that is completely customizable to capture essential case and/or patient/plaintiff-related data and ultimately serves as an electronic copy (in addition to the printed hard copy) of all specimen-related documentation scanned during the retrieval process.

While Steelgate often retrieves material directly from patient/plaintiff residences, law offices, medical examiners, laboratories and funeral homes, it works primarily with an established network of thousands of hospitals nationwide, facilitating the ease of communication by understanding each hospital’s unique requirements for the release of patient material (H.I.P.A.A. forms, patient authorizations/waivers/power-of-attorney, court orders/subpoenas, lab/handling fees), having relationships with key department contacts (e.g., Risk Management, Surgical Services, Pathology), maintaining awareness of specimen retention policies and using such knowledge to help guide its clients seamlessly throughout the process of obtaining critical evidence.

The value of Steelgate’s services is evident in the way we:

  • Protect biomedical specimens during the litigation lifecycle by transferring custody to Steelgate from:

    • Hospitals that lack consistent retention policies that often result in post-operative discard of vital evidence

    • Patients/plaintiffs who lack both the capabilities to properly preserve this material

    • Law firms who may not have the proper facilities to store this material, but may also risk being called as witnesses at trial

  • Establish consistent processes in accordance with Standard Operating Procedures

  • Maintain chain-of-custody in a single-source repository

  • Create a consolidated, definitive inventory of specimens stored and retrieval history

  • Provide timely access to this material for expert analysis

Steelgate has distinguished itself among both plaintiffs and defense attorneys as the biomedical-specimen-storage-facility-of-choice through these attorneys’ mutual consent to designate Steelgate as the service provider named in the following Multi-District Litigation (MDL) and Multi-County Litigation (MCL) Court Orders and Case Management Orders (CMOs):

  • MDL 2187 C.R. Bard, Inc. Pelvic Repair System Litigation

  • MDL 2327 Ethicon, Inc., Pelvic Repair System Litigation

  • MCL/CMO Ethicon, Inc. Proceed Mesh Litigation (Proceed Surgical Mesh and Proceed Ventral Patch Hernia Mesh)

  • MCL/CMO Ethicon, Gynecare/Pelvic Mesh Litigation

  • MDL 2570 Cook Medical, Inferior Vena Cava (IVC) Filter Litigation

  • MDL 2652 Ethicon, Power Morcellator Product Liability Litigation

  • MDL 2753 Atrium Medical Corp., C-Qur Hernia Mesh Products Liability Litigation

  • MDL 2782 Physiomesh Flexible Composite Hernia Mesh Products Liability Litigation

  • MCL/CMO Abbvie, Inc. (Lifecell Corporation/Allergan, Inc.) Strattice Hernia Mesh Litigation

  • MDL 2846 C.R. Bard/Davol, Inc. Polypropylene Hernia Mesh Products Liability Litigation

  • MDL 3029 Medtronic (Covidien), Hernia Mesh Products Liability Litigation

  • MDL 3081 C.R. Bard, Implanted Port Catheter Products Liability Litigation (included in the MDL’s Preservation of Evidence Letter Template)