Harvard Settlement Over Stolen Body Parts Wins Preliminary Approval
Harvard University has consented to a $53 million settlement, which has received preliminary court approval in Boston.
3 reports on this incident · first at Aug 19, 2026, 4:49 p.m. ET
Earlier reports
Aug 19, 2026, 4:55 p.m. ET
Harvard Agrees to $53 Million Settlement Over Stolen Body Parts Lawsuits
Harvard University has agreed to pay a $53 million settlement in civil class-action lawsuits brought by families whose donated remains were stolen from its medical school morgue and sold, according to reporting from FOX 5 Atlanta. A Massachusetts judge in Boston gave preliminary approval to the agreement, which remains subject to final court approval.
As part of the settlement terms, Harvard agreed to hold a live webinar for affected families and to establish an annual medical-student scholarship beginning in the 2027-28 academic year to honor anatomical donors.
The lawsuits alleged that Harvard failed to protect the remains of loved ones donated to its medical school, failed to properly supervise morgue manager Cedric Lodge, and allowed his misconduct to continue for years. Families argued that the university should have detected the wrongdoing before Lodge was indicted in 2023.
Aug 19, 2026, 4:49 p.m. ETFirst report
Harvard Agrees to $53 Million Settlement Over Stolen Body Parts Lawsuits
Harvard University has agreed to pay $53 million to settle civil lawsuits brought by families whose donated remains were stolen from its medical school morgue and sold, fox5atlanta.com reported. A Massachusetts judge in Boston gave preliminary approval to the class-action settlement, which remains subject to final court approval in the open and developing case.
According to fox5atlanta.com, families alleged that Harvard failed to protect the remains of loved ones donated to its medical school, failed to properly supervise morgue manager Cedric Lodge, and allowed his misconduct to continue for years. The families argued that the university should have detected the wrongdoing before Lodge was indicted in 2023.
Under the consented settlement, Harvard also agreed to hold a live webinar for affected families and to establish an annual medical-student scholarship beginning in 2027-28 honoring anatomical donors, fox5atlanta.com reported.
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- Harvard to pay $53M over body parts sold on black marketfox5atlanta.com
Revision history
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