DENVER - When Thomas Panteloglow went to his dumpster on Dale Court in Denver Tuesday morning, he discovered sensitive legal documents inside.

"There's enough information there. Somebody could get credit cards," said Panteloglow, a former Air Force security specialist.

He found more than a dozen boxes in two dumpsters packed with legal depositions and personal medical records.

"I would not be happy if this was mine," he said. "This is somebody's personal life. When they gave this deposition, I know they weren't planning on everybody seeing it."

So just how did this happen?

7NEWS eventually tracked one of the boxes to a Denver law firm that dissolved 10 years ago.

A former partner tells us he's disturbed by the discovery of the documents - adding there was a protocol for disposal of the documents.

It's also possible a former client took the files and then dumped them.

The Denver Police Department hauled the documents away - hoping to keep the personal information on the pages private.

"We shred everything in our house, everything. And this is the reason why. We always have people going through the trash everyday," said Panteloglow.

7NEWS checked with Denver Public Works.  Illegal dumping is punishable by a $999 dollar fine.