Harvard to pay $53 million to settle lawsuits over theft of body parts
BOSTON, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Harvard University has agreed to pay $53 million to resolve lawsuits by families alleging it mishandled the bodies of loved ones donated to its medical school and whose parts were then sold on the black market by the former manager of its morgue.
Harvard University has reached a $53 million settlement to address lawsuits from families claiming the university mishandled the bodies of their loved ones. The settlement resolves issues stemming from the arrest of Cedric Lodge, Harvard Medical School's morgue manager for nearly three decades, in 2023. Lodge was sentenced to eight years in prison for stealing and selling organs and other body parts from cadavers donated to the school for medical research and education since 2018.
The settlement involves a class action lawsuit, approved by a state court judge in Boston, and will provide compensation to the affected families. In addition to the monetary provisions, Harvard Medical School pledges to deliver a statement to the families via a live webinar, confirming the despicable and morally reprehensible nature of Lodge's criminal acts.
The institution also plans to establish an annual scholarship for medical students in honor of all its anatomical donors starting from the 2027-2028 academic year.
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