Justice for Henrietta Lacks as family reaches settlement with Thermo Fisher
By 
Julia Robinson2023-08-04T08:30:00
Company was accused of profiting from HeLa cells derived from Lacks’ tumour without her family’s approval
The family of Henrietta Lacks – whose ‘immortal’ cell line has contributed to countless medical advances since the 1950s – has reached a settlement with Thermo Fisher Scientific after almost two years.
The family filed the lawsuit in Baltimore federal court in October 2021, accusing the Massachusetts-based biotechnology company of profiting from Lacks’ cells without approval from, or payment to, her or her family members.
The lawsuit demanded that Thermo Fisher Scientific pay back the full net profit obtained by commercialising the cell line to Lacks’ estate. It also sought an order permanently prohibiting the company from using the cell line without the estate’s permission.