Boston, Aug 19 (V7N)- Harvard University has agreed to pay $53 million in compensation to families whose loved ones’ donated human remains were illegally stolen and sold for profit.

The proposed settlement was presented in a Boston court on Monday (August 17). If approved, it will resolve lawsuits filed against Harvard Medical School following the conviction of its former morgue manager, Cedric Lodge, who admitted to stealing and selling donated human body parts on the black market.

Lodge, 58, allegedly carried out the illegal activities between 2018 and 2021 while working as manager of Harvard Medical School’s Anatomical Gifts Program. According to prosecutors, he removed parts of donated bodies intended for medical research and, along with his wife, sold them to buyers in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts.

Lodge and six other people with no connection to Harvard were indicted in 2025. All of them subsequently pleaded guilty.

Harvard Medical School said in a letter on Monday that, subject to court approval, a multimillion-dollar fund would be established to compensate affected families.

Donated human remains are used by Harvard medical students to learn and practice medical procedures. After the educational use is completed, the remains are generally cremated and returned to the families, while some are buried at the university’s medical cemetery.

Lodge was sentenced by a Pennsylvania district court judge on December 16 last year. His wife was sentenced to one year and one day in prison.

Several affected families filed civil lawsuits against Harvard in 2023, alleging that university officials had failed to take appropriate action despite being aware of Lodge’s misconduct for years. A state judge initially dismissed the cases, but the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court reopened them last year.

Harvard and the plaintiffs jointly asked the court on Monday to approve the $53 million class-action settlement.

In a letter signed by George Daley, dean of Harvard Medical School, and Bernard Chang, dean of medical education, the university described Lodge’s actions as “morally reprehensible” and said they were completely inconsistent with the standards expected of Harvard toward donors and their families.

Harvard Medical School also announced plans to establish an annual financial aid scholarship for medical students beginning in the 2027-28 academic year. The scholarship will honor and express gratitude to people who donate their remains for medical education and research.

The university said that although the legal proceedings have concluded with Lodge’s sentencing and the proposed compensation agreement, the process of healing from the painful incident remains ongoing.

END/SMA/AJ