Harvard University has agreed to pay $53 million to settle civil lawsuits related to the illegal theft and sale of human remains donated to its medical school for scientific research.
The former manager of the Harvard Medical School morgue, 58-year-old Cedric Lodge, was sentenced to eight years in prison last December. He previously pleaded guilty in May to orchestrating a nationwide scheme to steal and sell organs, skin, brains, and head fragments from donor bodies between 2018 and at least March 2020. His 65-year-old wife, Denise Lodge, was also sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison for her participation in the illegal business.
According to the US Department of Justice, Lodge took the remains from the morgue in Boston without authorization from management or the donors' families and transported them to his home in Goffstown, New Hampshire. From there, the couple shipped anatomical specimens to buyers in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania, many of whom resold them for profit. Charges in the case were also brought against other co-defendants who pleaded guilty.
Donor families began filing lawsuits against Harvard in the summer of 2023 after charges were brought against Lodge, citing negligence and infliction of emotional distress. Medical school deans George Daley and Bernard Chang noted that the settlement will avoid a protracted legal process.
As part of the settlement, Harvard Medical School will hold an online meeting with victim families to acknowledge the inappropriate nature of Lodge's actions, present a report on changes to the anatomical donation program, and establish an annual scholarship for medical students starting in the 2027–2028 academic year as a tribute to the donors.
