Harvard agrees to $53M settlement with families after donated body parts were stolen, sold on black market

Harvard University has agreed to a $53 million settlement with families whose donated body parts were stolen and sold by a former morgue manager, Cedric Lodge. Lodge pleaded guilty to interstate transport of stolen human remains and was sentenced to eight years in prison. The settlement, preliminarily approved by a judge, aims to resolve claims against the university for its alleged negligent handling of the anatomical gift program.

• Harvard University has agreed to a $53 million settlement with families affected by the theft and sale of donated body parts.
• The scandal involved Cedric Lodge, a former Harvard Medical School morgue manager, who stole and sold human remains intended for research and education.
• Lodge pleaded guilty to interstate transport of stolen human remains and was sentenced to eight years in prison.
• The proposed settlement establishes two funds totaling $53 million.
• Harvard has condemned Lodge’s actions, calling them ‘despicable, abhorrent, and a flagrant betrayal of our values’.
• The university will also establish an annual financial aid scholarship for medical students in honor of anatomical donors.