Harvard University has reached a $53m settlement to address civil lawsuits related to the illegal theft and sale of human remains donated to its medical school for scientific research.
Cedric Lodge, 58, a former morgue manager at Harvard Medical School, was sentenced in December last year to eight years in prison. This followed his guilty plea in May to stealing and selling human body parts in a nationwide scheme. Prosecutors stated the scheme involved the theft and sale of organs, skin, brains, and dissected heads from cadavers donated to Harvard from 2018 through at least March 2020.
His wife, Denise Lodge, 65, also received a sentence of 12 months and one day in prison for her involvement in the black market operation. According to a US justice department statement, Lodge took the remains without permission and transported them to his home, where he and his wife shipped them to buyers in other states.
The Harvard Crimson reported that as part of the settlement, Harvard Medical School will issue a statement to claimant families via a live webinar. This statement will affirm that Lodge's conduct was "morally reprehensible" and inconsistent with Harvard's standards, alongside a summary of changes made to its Anatomical Gift Program. The school will also establish an annual financial aid scholarship for medical students, starting in the 2027-28 academic year, in honour of anatomical donors.
Deans George Daley and Edward Hundert previously described Lodge's actions as "morally reprehensible." Daley and Bernard S Chang, the dean for medical education, stated in an email that the settlement would allow Harvard and the plaintiffs to avoid "prolonged litigation."