Harvard Medical School to pay $53 million settlement over stolen remains

Harvard Medical School has agreed to a $53 million settlement to resolve class action lawsuits brought by 47 relatives of body donors. The lawsuits follow revelations that the school’s former morgue manager, Cedric Lodge, stole and sold human remains on the black market.

Lodge was sentenced to eight years in prison for his role in a scheme that involved shipping body parts, including brains, skin, hands, and faces, to buyers in Pennsylvania and elsewhere. His wife, Denise Lodge, received a sentence of just over one year for assisting him. Six other individuals who purchased the remains have also been sentenced.

Deans George Q. Daley and Bernard S. Chang described the actions as a “flagrant betrayal of our values as a medical community.” While the school has reviewed federal investigation records and cremation logs, it stated it cannot determine exactly which donors were affected. The settlement covers remains donated between January 1, 2018, and March 31, 2023. Pending court approval, the $53 million will be distributed through two settlement funds.