Harvard University will pay $53 million to settle lawsuits stemming from the illegal misappropriation and sale of human remains donated for research at its medical school.
The central figure in the case is Cedric Lodge, 58, the former manager of the Harvard Medical School morgue. He was sentenced to eight years in prison last December for running a nationwide black-market scheme. According to prosecutors, between 2018 and March 2020, Lodge stole organs, skin, brain tissue, and dissected head parts from bodies donated to the university without the permission of his employer or the donors’ families. He took the stolen remains to his home in New Hampshire, where he and his wife, Denise Lodge, 65 (who was sentenced to one year in prison), shipped them to buyers in various states via post packages.
Under the agreement, in addition to financial compensation, Harvard will hold a special webinar for the affected families, during which it will acknowledge Lodge’s actions as completely unacceptable and present new security measures implemented in its donation program. Furthermore, starting in 2027, an annual scholarship will be established for medical students in honor and gratitude of the donors.
The affected families began filing lawsuits against Harvard in the summer of 2023 following the indictment of Cedric Lodge, accusing the university of negligence and infliction of emotional distress. Deans of Harvard Medical School stated that the settlement allows both the university and the plaintiffs to avoid lengthy and grueling court proceedings.
