Harvard Medical School Settles $53M Class Action Over Stolen Donor Body Parts in Morgue Scandal

Harvard University has agreed to pay $53 million to resolve a class-action lawsuit filed by families of anatomical donors whose remains were stolen and sold by a former Harvard Medical School morgue manager. A Boston state court judge granted preliminary approval to the settlement on August 18, 2026, according to court records and multiple news reports.

The case centers on Cedric Lodge, who managed Harvard Medical School’s Anatomical Gift Program morgue for nearly three decades. Between 2018 and August 2022, Lodge stole body parts—including heads, brains, skin, bones, faces, and hands—from donated cadavers after they had been used for teaching and research. He transported the remains to his home in Goffstown, New Hampshire, where he and his wife Denise sold them to buyers across state lines via online platforms and in-person deals. Lodge pleaded guilty to interstate transportation of stolen goods and was sentenced to eight years in prison in December 2025; his wife received a sentence of 12 months and one day.

Families sued Harvard, alleging negligence and failure to provide adequate oversight, claiming the university turned a blind eye to Lodge’s activities. An initial dismissal was overturned by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in October 2025, which found plausible claims of lack of good faith in handling remains under the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act. The settlement establishes two class-action funds totaling $53 million, to be administered by a third party, with additional measures including a live webinar for families and a new scholarship fund honoring donors.

Harvard Medical School deans George Daley and Bernard Chang described Lodge’s actions as a “flagrant betrayal of our values” and inconsistent with the reverence expected for altruistic donors. The scandal has raised broader questions about safeguards in university body donation programs, the challenges of monitoring long-term employees with access to sensitive materials, and the emotional and ethical fallout for families who entrusted loved ones’ remains to medical education. Coverage from Reuters, The New York Times, BBC, and The Boston Globe highlights the case’s progression from federal indictments in 2023 through criminal convictions and now civil resolution, underscoring ongoing efforts to restore trust in anatomical gift programs nationwide.