Harvard agrees to pay $53 million after former morgue manager sold donated body parts

Harvard University has agreed to pay $53 million (€45.5 million) to settle claims linked to a former morgue manager who stole and sold body parts donated for medical research, with a Boston court reportedly approving the settlement on Tuesday.

Cedric Lodge, who managed the morgue at Harvard Medical School until he was dismissed in 2023, was sentenced to eight years in prison in December after pleading guilty to trafficking stolen human remains.

Harvard said on Monday it would seek court approval to establish “two class action settlement funds totaling $53 million.”

"We are grateful to be working together with the plaintiffs to move forward in a way that prioritizes support for families and the (organ donation program) and avoids prolonged litigation,"said Harvard Medical School Dean George Daley and Dean for Medical Education Bernard Chang in a joint letter.

They described Lodge’s actions as “despicable, abhorrent, and a flagrant betrayal of our values as a medical community.”

Investigators found that Lodge and his wife had been removing body parts from the school since 2018 “without the knowledge or permission of his employer, the donor, or the donor’s family” before sending them to buyers in other states.

Lodge’s wife, Denise, was previously sentenced to one year in prison, while six others who bought human remains from him pleaded guilty and were also sentenced.

Harvard Medical School said it would establish an annual financial aid scholarship from the 2027-28 academic year “in appreciation and in honor of all of our anatomical donors.”

Under the settlement plan, the school will also provide affected families with a statement condemning Lodge’s crimes and outline changes made to its anatomical donation programme.