Harvard agrees to pay millions after morgue manager sold body parts

Harvard University has reached a $53 million settlement to settle lawsuits brought by families who claimed the university mishandled the bodies of their loved ones donated to its medical school. The proposed settlement, announced in a Boston court on Monday, will resolve the cases filed against Harvard Medical School (HMS) following the arrest of former morgue manager Cedric Lodge. Lodge, 58, admitted to stealing and selling body parts from cadavers on the black market between 2018 and 2021.

In a statement, Harvard Medical School expressed remorse for the actions of Lodge and emphasized the university's commitment to upholding its standards for handling anatomical donors and their families. The multi-million dollar settlement funds will be established for the affected families once the court grants approval. Lodge pleaded guilty to his crimes along with six other co-conspirators, who had no ties to Harvard.

Prosecutors alleged that Lodge exploited his role as the manager of the Anatomical Gifts Program at the medical school to dismember donated cadavers for profit.

Harvard students rely on donated bodies for medical education and research purposes. Once the school completes its use of the bodies, they are typically cremated, and the remains are returned to families or interred in the university's medical cemetery. Lodge and his wife were sentenced to eight years and one year and one day in prison, respectively, for their roles in the scheme.

In 2023, numerous civil lawsuits were filed against Harvard, alleging the university ignored Lodge's misconduct for years. However, those cases were initially dismissed but were revived by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court last fall.

Harvard's letter, signed by Dean of the Faculty of Medicine George Daley and Dean for Medical Education Bernard Chang, acknowledged Lodge's "morally reprehensible" actions and stated that the school will establish an annual scholarship for medical students starting in the 2027-2028 academic year. The settlement concludes the legal process, but the university acknowledges that the impact of this incident continues to be felt.