Harvard to pay $53 million after morgue manager sold body parts

Harvard University has agreed to pay a $53 million settlement after its former morgue manager stole and sold body parts donated for scientific research, with a court reportedly approving the plan on Tuesday.

Cedric Lodge, who managed the morgue at the prestigious Harvard Medical School before being fired in 2023, was sentenced to eight years in prison in December after pleading guilty to trafficking stolen remains.

Investigators said Lodge and his wife took body parts from the school "without the knowledge or permission of his employer, the donor, or the donor's family" and shipped them to buyers in other states since 2018.

Harvard University said in a letter on Monday that it will seek the court's permission to set up "two class action settlement funds totaling $53 million."

"We are grateful to be working together with the plaintiffs to move forward in a way that prioritizes support for families and the (organ donation program) and avoids prolonged litigation," read the letter co-signed by Harvard Medical School Dean George Daley and Bernard Chang, dean for medical education.

Lodge's violations "were despicable, abhorrent, and a flagrant betrayal of our values as a medical community," they said. "We reaffirm our deep sorrow and empathy for the families of donors who may have been impacted."

A judge gave preliminary approval to the settlement plan on Tuesday, the Harvard Crimson reported.

Harvard said the process of distributing funds is expected to take several months.

Lodge's wife Denise was earlier sentenced to one year in prison.

Six other co-conspirators who bought remains from Lodge have also pleaded guilty and received sentences.

Cedric and Denise Lodge and two others — Katrina MacLean and Joshua Taylor — allegedly conspired with Jeremy Pauley to sell human remains for a profit, according to court documents.

Pauley, who was charged in August 2022 with multiple counts related to the alleged purchase and sale of corpses, allegedly bought body parts from MacLean, court documents said. Investigators then found that, since about 2018, MacLean and Taylor had been selling human parts and remains that they had purchased from the Lodges. 

Court documents allege that MacLean and Taylor sold human body parts to numerous buyers and that MacLean also stored and sold remains in Kat's Creepy Creations, her store in Salem, Massachusetts. The store's Instagram page says it specializes in "creepy dolls, oddities, and bone art," and one post was captioned, "If you're in the market for human bones hit me up," CBS News Boston reported.

Harvard Medical School will set up an annual financial aid scholarship starting in the 2027-28 academic year "in appreciation and in honor of all of our anatomical donors," the school said.

The settlement plan also includes a pledge by the school to provide a statement to the claimant families condemning Lodge's criminal acts, and to detail improvements made to the organ donation program.

contributed to this report.

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Former morgue director at Harvard Medical School pleads guilty to trafficking stolen body parts