Harvard University announced Monday that it will pay $53 million to settle multiple lawsuits brought by relatives of people whose body parts were stolen from the university’s medical school morgue and sold by its former manager.
Former Harvard Medical School morgue manager Cedric Lodge, his wife, Denise Lodge, and several others were indicted in June 2023 on charges involving conspiracy and interstate transportation of stolen goods.
Cedric and Denise Lodge later pleaded guilty. Cedric Lodge was sentenced to eight years in prison, while his wife received a sentence of one year and one day.
Harvard disclosed the $53 million settlement in a letter to the university community written by Dr. George Daley, dean of the faculty of medicine, and Dr. Bernard Chang, dean for medical education at Harvard Medical School.
The deans said a third-party settlement administrator will be appointed to notify potential class members, establish a website containing eligibility information and instructions for filing claims, and distribute settlement money.
“This process, from beginning to end, is expected to take several months,” they wrote.
A Suffolk Superior Court judge in Boston granted preliminary approval to the settlement Tuesday, according to WBUR. Final approval is expected in December.
Harvard has maintained that it was unaware of Lodge’s activities, which prosecutors said began in 2018. The university estimated that 438 donors left the medical school morgue between 2018 and 2023.
The deans acknowledged that Lodge’s sentencing brought the criminal case against him to a conclusion and that fulfillment of the settlement agreement would end the civil cases. However, they said the university’s recovery from the incident continues.
They also emphasized the importance of donated bodies in medical education, describing the detailed study of human anatomy through dissection as an “invaluable and indispensable” part of training medical and dental students, surgical residents and other health care professionals.
According to the deans, students remain deeply grateful to donors and their families and hold a private memorial service each year to honor those who donated their bodies.
The federal investigation extended beyond Lodge and his wife.
A federal grand jury also indicted Katrina Maclean, Joshua Taylor and Matthew Lampi. Prosecutors alleged the Lodges sold body parts to Maclean and Taylor after arranging transactions over the phone and through social media.
Maclean and Taylor would visit the Harvard Medical School morgue to “choose what to purchase,” according to Gerard Karam, the U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania at the time.
Maclean was sentenced to two years in prison in 2026, while Taylor received a two-year sentence in 2025. Lampi was sentenced to 15 months in prison in 2025.
All three pleaded guilty.
While the criminal cases resulted in prison sentences and the civil litigation is moving toward a $53 million settlement, Harvard officials said the university continues to deal with the fallout from the disturbing episode involving its anatomical gift program.
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