Harvard settles for $53M in stolen body parts case - UPI.com

Harvard University agreed to pay $53 million to settle a class‑action lawsuit filed by families of donors whose bodies were stolen and sold by a former Harvard Medical School morgue manager, Cedric Lodge. Lodge, who served as the morgue manager, was sentenced to eight years in prison for selling brains, skin, hands, faces, dissected heads and other remains to collectors, with his wife Denise receiving a one‑year sentence for her involvement. The scheme operated undetected from roughly 2018 until March 2023, when the FBI uncovered the illegal trafficking and prompted Harvard to keep the matter confidential until the indictment.

The settlement, announced by Harvard’s Deans of Faculty and Medical Education, aims to provide closure to the affected families and includes new program safeguards, an annual scholarship honoring anatomical donors starting in 2027, and statements condemning Lodge’s actions as “morally reprehensible.” Additional individuals who bought or resold the stolen remains—such as Joshua Taylor, Andrew Ensanian, Jeremy Pauley, Katrina Maclean, Candace Chapman‑Scott, Matthew Lampi and Angelo Pereyra—also received prison sentences, reflecting the broader criminal network. Harvard emphasized its commitment to the Anatomical Gift Program and expressed deep empathy for the donors’ families.

(Source：UPI News)