Harvard Medical School has agreed to pay $53 million to settle class action lawsuits brought by relatives of individuals whose donated bodies were allegedly sold for profit by a former morgue manager. The settlement, which requires court approval, aims to resolve claims concerning remains that were donated for research and education.
In a letter to the Harvard community, Deans George Q. Daley and Bernard S. Chang described the actions of former morgue manager Cedric Lodge as "despicable, abhorrent, and a flagrant betrayal of our values as a medical community." The school stated it cannot precisely identify which donors' remains were stolen.
Following Lodge's arrest in 2023, Harvard conducted a review with federal investigators, examining records of donor remains' cremation dates and Lodge's presence on campus to identify potentially affected individuals. The settlement applies to relatives or designees of those who donated their remains to the medical school between January 1, 2018, and March 31, 2023.
Cedric Lodge was sentenced to eight years in prison for orchestrating a scheme that involved stealing and selling body parts. Authorities reported that Lodge shipped brains, skin, hands, and faces from cadavers to buyers in multiple states. His wife, Denise Lodge, received a prison sentence of just over a year for her role in assisting him. Six other individuals who purchased remains from Cedric Lodge have also pleaded guilty and been sentenced.
According to court filings, one buyer obtained body parts from Lodge for the purpose of tanning the skin into leather to be bound into a book. Harvard has stated that Lodge removed body parts before cremation without the school's knowledge or authorization.
Daley and Chang expressed deep sorrow and empathy for the impacted families, reaffirming the reverence Harvard holds for individuals who selflessly donate their bodies to the school's Anatomical Gift Program.
In addition to the financial settlement, Harvard Medical School has committed to providing affected families with a statement condemning Lodge's actions and outlining improvements made to the Anatomical Gift Program. The school also plans to establish an annual financial aid scholarship for medical students, beginning in the 2027-28 academic year, in honor of anatomical donors. Harvard has implemented recommendations from an external panel of experts who reviewed the program after Lodge's charges were filed.