On August 19, Harvard University (USA) agreed to spend 53 million USD in a settlement after the school's former morgue manager stole and sold human body parts donated for scientific research purposes, AFP reported.
Cedric Lodge, head of the morgue at Harvard Medical School, was fired in 2023. Later, he was sentenced to 8 years in prison in December 2025 for confessing to theft and trafficking of human organs.
According to investigators, Lodge and his wife took human body parts from the field "without the knowledge or permission of the employer, donor or donor family", and then transferred them to buyers in other states from 2018.
In a letter, Harvard University said it would ask the court to establish "2 collective litigation settlement funds with a total value of 53 million USD".
We are grateful for being able to coordinate with the plaintiffs to move forward in a way that prioritizes supporting families and donation programs, while avoiding a prolonged lawsuit," the letter signed by Harvard Medical School Principal George Daley and Mr. Bernard Chang, Head of Medical Training, stated.
The two school leaders described Lodge's violations as "despicable, disgusting and a blatant betrayal of the values of our medical community".
We once again express our deepest sorrow and sympathy to the families of the donors who may have been affected," the letter wrote. Harvard said the funding allocation process is expected to last several months.
Lodge's wife, Denise, was previously sentenced to one year in prison. Six other accomplices who had bought human body parts from Lodge also pleaded guilty and were convicted.
Harvard Medical School announced that it will establish an annual financial scholarship fund starting from the 2027-2028 academic year "to show gratitude and honor all body donors to anatomy".
The settlement plan also includes the school's commitment to send petitioner families a statement condemning Lodge's criminal acts, along with detailed information about the improvements made with the donation program.
