Harvard University has agreed to pay a $53 million (around Rs 507 crore) settlement to resolve lawsuits filed by families whose loved ones’ bodies were allegedly mishandled and body parts stolen from its medical school morgue.The settlement comes after Harvard Medical School’s former morgue manager, Cedric Lodge, pleaded guilty to stealing and selling human remains donated for scientific research, news agency AFP reported.
Former morgue manager gets 8 years in prison
Lodge, who managed Harvard Medical School’s morgue before being fired in 2023, was sentenced to eight years in prison in December.Investigators said Lodge and his wife, Denise, took body parts from cadavers without the knowledge or permission of Harvard, the donors or their families. The remains were then shipped to buyers in other states as part of a scheme that prosecutors said operated from 2018 to 2021.Lodge and other co-conspirators who bought the stolen remains have also pleaded guilty. His wife was sentenced to a year in prison.
Harvard calls acts ‘despicable’ and ‘abhorrent’
Harvard said it would seek the court’s permission to establish two class-action settlement funds totalling $53 million.Harvard Medical School Dean George Daley and Dean for Medical Education Bernard Chang said the agreement would help provide support to affected families while avoiding prolonged litigation.They described Lodge’s actions as “despicable” and “abhorrent”, calling them a flagrant betrayal of the medical community’s values.The university also expressed sorrow and empathy for the families of donors who may have been affected.
Court gives preliminary approval
A Boston state court judge reportedly granted preliminary approval to the settlement plan on Tuesday. Harvard said the process of distributing the funds is expected to take several months.The settlement also includes a commitment by the medical school to state claimant families condemning Lodge’s criminal acts and outlining improvements made to its anatomical donation programme.
Scholarship planned to honour anatomical donors
Harvard Medical School will also establish an annual financial-aid scholarship beginning in the 2027-28 academic year in honour of its anatomical donors.While Lodge’s criminal case and the proposed settlement move the long-running legal battle closer to an end, Harvard said the process of recovering from the incident continues.
