Harvard Medical School has agreed to a $53 million settlement to resolve lawsuits from families whose donated bodies were mishandled by a former morgue manager who stole and sold human remains on the black market.

Harvard Medical School has proposed a $53 million settlement to resolve civil lawsuits filed by families alleging the university failed to prevent the theft and sale of human remains. The agreement, presented in Boston court on Monday, stems from criminal conduct by Cedric Lodge, a former manager of the university's Anatomical Gifts Program, who pleaded guilty to dismembering and selling cadavers that had been donated for medical research and education.

Lodge, 58, operated the scheme between 2018 and 2021, according to prosecutors. He used his institutional access to remove parts from donated bodies and sold them through online channels, with buyers located in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. Lodge was sentenced to eight years in prison in December, while his wife received a sentence of one year and one day. Six additional co-conspirators unaffiliated with Harvard were also indicted and pleaded guilty in 2025.

Civil suits against the university were originally dismissed by a state court judge but were revived by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court last autumn. According to the indictment, donated bodies at Harvard are typically cremated with remains returned to families or buried in the university's medical cemetery after serving educational purposes. In a statement Monday, Harvard's medical leadership characterized Lodge's actions as "morally reprehensible" and inconsistent with the institution's standards.

Beyond the financial settlement, Harvard has committed to establishing an annual scholarship for medical students beginning in the 2027-2028 academic year to honour anatomical donors. University officials acknowledged that while the criminal sentencing and settlement conclude legal proceedings, the institution continues its recovery from what it described as a "painful incident."