Harvard settles for $53M in stolen body parts case

Aug. 19 (UPI) — Harvard University settled a clblock-action lawsuit for $53 million to families of those whose donated body parts were sold by a former employee of the medical school.

Cedric Lodge, 58, the former morgue manager at Harvard Medical School, was sentenced to eight years in prison in December. He pleaded guilty to one charge of interstate transportation of stolen goods. He was fired from the university in June 2023, when the FBI secured his indictment. His wife, Denise Lodge, 65, was sentenced to one year in prison for her role in the scheme.

As the morgue manager, he handled the cadavers donated to the university for the Anatomical Gift Program, which students use to learn anatomy. Once students finished their dissections and research, Lodge was supposed to have them cremated.

An FBI investigation discovered the enterprise in which Lodge sold brains, skin, hands, faces, dissected heads and other body parts to collectors, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Pennsylvania.

Lodge “took the remains without the knowledge or permission of his employer, the donor or the donor’s family, and transported the remains to his home in New Hampshire. After he and his wife Denise Lodge sold the remains, they would ship the remains to the buyers in other states or the buyer would take possession directly and transport the remains themselves. Remains stolen and sold by the Lodges were transported from the morgue in Boston to locations in Salem, Mblock., New Hampshire and Pennsylvania.”

The practice was undetected from about 2018 until March 2023. Harvard said in a FAQ page on its website that it learned of the issue from the FBI, which then asked that university stay silent about it until the indictment was secured.

Families of the victims sued the university, and the settlement was announced Monday.

Harvard Medical School Dean of Faculty Dr. George Q. Daley and Dean for Medical Education Dr. Bernard Chang announced the settlement in a statement, saying it was reached to prevent extended litigation.

“These events do not reflect the reverence we hold for the altruistic individuals who selflessly donate their bodies to our Anatomical Gift Program to provide essential educational opportunities to medical and dental students, practicing surgeons and allied health professionals,” they said. “We reaffirm our deep sorrow and empathy for the families of donors who may have been impacted.”

Morgan & Morgan, the law firm that represented the families, released a statement.

“Both Harvard and the plaintiffs’ attorneys worked diligently to come to an agreement so that these families can finally have closure and begin to heal,” Morgan & Morgan founder John Morgan said in the statement. “We hope that this resolution ensures that this never happens to another family ever again.”

The medical school will also issue a statement to the plaintiffs saying that Lodge’s actions were “morally reprehensible” and another statement detailing changes being made to the program. The university will also establish an annual scholarship for medical students beginning in 2027, “in appreciation and in honor of all of our anatomical donors.”

“While Lodge’s sentencing concludes the criminal case against him, and the clblock action settlement agreement when fulfilled would conclude the civil cases,” Daley and Chang wrote, “the process of recovering from this painful incident continues.”

In 2023, medical students wrote a letter to the families of the victims, saying, “We, as students, are devastated by the actions reportedly taken by an HMS morgue staff member and others outside Harvard, which breached that very trust your loved ones placed in our profession. It is absolutely unthinkable that such an atrocity would ever occur. No words can undo those actions, and while we can never understand how you are feeling, we do hope that we can convey our deepest condolences to you and your loved ones.”

The Lodges weren’t the only people indicted. He sold remains to Joshua Taylor and Andrew Ensanian, among others, the release from the U.S. attorney’s office alleged. Jeremy Pauley, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and interstate transportation of stolen human remains. Pauley, 43, was sentenced to six years in prison for his part in the scheme. He also bought and sold the remains. Taylor, 46, was sentenced to two years in prison, and Ensanian was sentenced to six months. Katrina Maclean, 46, was sentenced to two years in prison for her actions. She bought and sold some of the remains.

Candace Chapman-Scott, 37, of Little Rock, Ark., who stole remains from an Arkansas crematorium where she was employed and sold them to Pauley in Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in Arkansas federal court and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Matthew Lampi, 50, of Minnesota, was sentenced to 15 months in prison. Angelo Pereyra, 39, of Wichita, Kan., was sentenced to 18 months in prison.