Harvard Medical School Reaches $53 Million Settlement Over Stolen Body Parts
Harvard Medical School has agreed to a $53 million settlement in class-action lawsuits filed by relatives of body donors whose remains were stolen and sold by a former morgue manager. Deans George Q. Daley and Bernard S. Chang announced the settlement, condemning the actions of former morgue manager Cedric Lodge as a "flagrant betrayal of our values." The settlement, pending court approval, will establish two funds to resolve lawsuits brought by 47 relatives of individuals whose remains were potentially mishandled. Harvard stated it cannot precisely identify all affected donors but reviewed federal investigators' information and school records to determine those potentially impacted between January 1, 2018, and March 31, 2023. Lodge was previously sentenced to eight years in prison for shipping body parts, including brains, skin, hands, and faces, to buyers. His wife, Denise Lodge, received a little over a year in prison for her involvement, and six buyers also pleaded guilty and were sentenced. 
