Harvard University has agreed to a $53 million settlement to resolve lawsuits brought by families who donated the remains of their loved ones to Harvard Medical School for scientific research and alleged that the university failed to properly safeguard the bodies.
The cases stem from a scandal involving former Harvard Medical School morgue manager Cedric Lodge, who admitted to stealing human remains entrusted to the university and selling them on the black market.
According to prosecutors, Lodge used his position as manager of Harvard Medical School's Anatomical Gift Program to take parts from cadavers donated for medical research.
Between 2018 and 2021, Lodge sold human remains to buyers online, prosecutors said. According to the indictment, Lodge and his wife shipped body parts to buyers in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts.
Harvard uses donated bodies to teach medical students human anatomy and allow them to practice medical procedures. Once educational and research activities are completed, the remains are generally cremated and either returned to the families or buried in the university's medical cemetery.
