Exhibit promoter in NY settlement over body origins

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The promoter of the "Bodies" exhibitions, which display human cadavers at locations around the world, agreed on Thursday to stop using remains of undocumented origins in its New York display after a probe by the state attorney general.

The investigation of Premier Exhibitions Inc came after advocacy groups and media reports contended that some of the bodies shown were Chinese prisoners who were executed.

Under the settlement, Premier now must obtain documentation of the cause of death and origins of the bodies it displays in any New York exhibit, state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said.

"The grim reality is that Premier Exhibitions has profited from displaying the remains of individuals who may have been tortured and executed in China," Cuomo said in a statement. "Despite repeated denials, we now know that Premier itself cannot demonstrate the circumstances that led to the death of the individuals."

Premier's chief legal counsel, Brian Wainger, said: "We are pleased with the outcome of the inquiry." Premier, based in Atlanta, cooperated with the New York probe.

The exhibition at New York's South Street Seaport contains 20 cadavers and more than 200 body parts. Cuomo's office said the bodies were licensed to the display organizer by the Dalien Hoffen Bio-Technique Co Ltd, which got them indirectly from the Chinese Bureau of Police after they were deemed unclaimed at death.

The displayed bodies have been put through a preservation process called "plastination."

The exhibitions have toured worldwide, and are on display in cities including Budapest, Vienna, Santiago, Madrid, Las Vegas and Honolulu, Hawaii.

On its Web site, Premier says its exhibitions, called "Bodies ... The Exhibition" and "Bodies Revealed" allow "people of all ages access to sights and knowledge normally reserved only for medical professionals."

The settlement, which only applies to the New York exhibition, requires Premier to obtain written documentation going forward demonstrating the source of each cadaver and body part, the cause of death and the person's consent to the use of his or her body. If human remains obtained before the settlement was reached stay on display, Premier must disclose at the New York show's entrance and in its advertising that it is not able to confirm their origins.

The agreement also allows prior visitors to the New York exhibition to get refunds on the price of their ticket.

Premier stock was up 15 cents, or 3.2 percent, at $4.84 in midday Nasdaq trading.

Reuters/Nielsen