Harvard Medical School has agreed to pay $53 million to settle lawsuits brought by families of people who donated their bodies for research, according to court and company statements. The case stems from a former morgue manager’s theft and sale of body parts from cadavers entrusted to the school’s anatomical gift program.
The key figure in the case, former morgue manager Cedric Lodge, was charged with taking body parts from research cadavers before cremation and selling them on the black market. He was sentenced to eight years in prison. His wife, who helped him, and buyers who purchased the remains were also convicted and given prison sentences or other penalties.
The settlement covers a class-action lawsuit involving 47 people whose relatives donated bodies between January 2018 and March 2023. Harvard Medical School said it will also overhaul oversight of its anatomy donation program and deliver a formal apology to the families.
In addition, the school plans to create a special scholarship for medical students starting in the 2027-28 academic year to honor anatomical donors. Harvard faculty leaders condemned the conduct as a blatant betrayal of the values the medical profession is supposed to uphold.
