Harvard agrees to pay $53 million after former morgue manager stole and sold body parts | AP News
Harvard Medical School will pay $53 million to settle lawsuits over a former morgue manager stealing and selling donated body parts.Summary
Harvard Medical School has agreed to pay $53 million to settle class-action lawsuits filed by 47 relatives of body donors whose remains were stolen and sold on the black market by former morgue manager Cedric Lodge. Deans George Q. Daley and Bernard S. Chang called Lodge's actions a "flagrant betrayal" and announced two settlement funds pending court approval, covering donors from January 2018 to March 2023. Lodge was sentenced to eight years in prison in 2024 for shipping body parts—including brains, skin, and faces—to buyers, while his wife and six buyers also received sentences. Harvard stated Lodge acted without its knowledge and has implemented reforms recommended by an external panel, including a new scholarship to honor donors and a formal condemnation of the misconduct.
(Source：The Associated Press)