Harvard pays $53 million to settle lawsuits related to its morgue scandal

Harvard University will pay $53 million to settle ongoing legal proceedings following the organ trafficking conviction of a former official at its medical school, according to several US media outlets.

Cedric Lodge, who was the school morgue director until his arrest in May 2023, was sentenced last December to eight years in prison for trafficking in organs and human remains.

His wife Denise was sentenced to one year and one day in prison for facilitating the sale of the stolen organs.

A Massachusetts court judge gave preliminary approval Tuesday to the proposal made by the prestigious university based near Boston.

A final agreement is expected in December, according to several media outlets, including the Harvard Crimson, a student newspaper, and the local branch of public radio NPR.

In a letter dated Monday, the university's medical school indicated it wants to create "two funds totaling $53 million for the settlement of class actions" related to the morgue scandal.

The violations committed by Cedric Lodge "were despicable, heinous and constituted a blatant betrayal of our values," the two deans of the school emphasized, expressing their "empathy for the families of the donors" affected.

Harvard indicated that the fund distribution process is expected to take several months.

Cedric Lodge was accused of being part of a "nationwide network of individuals who bought and sold human remains stolen from Harvard and an Arkansas morgue" from 2018 to 2022, according to federal prosecutors.

The morgue manager "stole organs and other parts of corpses donated to science for medical research and education, before their cremation."

He took these remains "without the knowledge of his employer, the donor and his family" to his home and then resold them "at a profit" to buyers in other states.